Of Monsters and Demons
by cronashy-absentia
Summary: A collection of Soul Eater oneshots. Latest: Late SteinMarie week entry. Bending AU. Stein's a former soldier of the Fire Nation, locked away for being a madman. Marie, being one of the new known Lightningbenders, is volunteered to help Stein learn focus and control through the painstaking process of teaching him to Lightningbend.
1. Strength in Numbers

**Ideas have been floating around my head for a while about some cool oneshots, so I thought, why not just put them all in a collection? ;) A lot of the first ones will be AUs that reference other animes.**

**TotalGamer98 Presents to You:**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 1: Strength in Numbers**

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Description: Soul's in charge of his regiment, but is constantly battling his own fears and nightmares. However, when new recruit Albarn shows up, Soul may have just found some comfort. What he can't perceive is how long this comfort will last... (Attack on Titan AU, Soul's POV. Warning: Character Death)

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Just a hand.

A hand that Maka held over her heart as she saluted me, a senior officer. It was her first day of training, and her eyes were so full of life and willingness to fight for humanity. By that time, however, my own eyes had dulled. I had seen death at is absolute worst, and if she stuck with the Scout Regiment, Maka would soon see the same. I felt bad for her, really. With her level of cheerfulness, I didn't feel as if she'd last long when she was shoved onto the battlefield. She soon proved me wrong, however.

Just a hand, one that soon proved to me one of the strongest I knew of.

Since I was in charge of our regiment, I observed Maka's training often. She handled her 3D maneuver gear expertly. I teased her about it as we grew more comfortable with each other, saying that her success was just beginner's luck. What I didn't expect was for her to slam my skull with an insanely thick book. I assigned her push-ups for an hour for injuring a senior officer, and then went to find an ice pack.

When I arrived back, she had thrown herself into her push-ups with vigor. I admired her strength, and resolved never to tease her about it again for that reason. I swear it wasn't because I was afraid of her Maka-chops.

Just a hand, one that clutched mine when Maka realized her senior officer got nightmares.

Our rooms weren't far from each other, and I suppose she got to her room later than she normally did, for she woke me from my sleep when she stepped in that night.

"You were crying out in your sleep," She said, in a tone much gentler than what I had heard her use on the training ground. "Are you all right, sir?"

I sighed, sitting up to face her. I was in my bedclothes, and she wore the same type. I ran a hand through my hair. "When you've been in the thick of battle, like I have," I began quietly, "You're lucky if you go three nights without nightmares."

My ash-blonde subordinate watched her feet for a moment. Abruptly, however, she pulled the stool from the other side of the room over to my bed and sat down on it.

"Sir," She murmured, reaching her hand out, "Lay down, and take my hand."

I quirked an eyebrow. "You don't order me around, soldier. And what makes you think that'll work?"

She shrugged. "Strength in numbers, I suppose. It's just an idea," She mumbled, beginning to stand, when I suddenly reached a hand out to grab her palm.

"Wait," I whispered, but I then realized how weak I sounded, and so I tried to adopt a more commanding tone. "Stay, as long as you're sure you can fall asleep like that. You need to rest up for tomorrow."

She smirked a little.

"I've trained myself to fall asleep while standing if needed, so I can be ready to run. I can sleep fine, sitting here."

I smiled a little. "Good," I told her, laying down while clutching her hand. I smirked after a moment, however. "Oh, and don't try anything on me while I sleep, soldier. Even though I know I'm irresistible."

She chopped me for that comment, though I never figured out from where she got the book. It became normal for her to do this whenever I suffered nightmares, and after my hand was safely in hers, I experienced no further nightmares for that night.

Just a hand, one that shook with fear when she was sent into battle for the first time.

"We're ordered to scout the area!" I yelled to my regiment as we approached the gate. "We need to make sure no titans are planning to knock down this wall! Are my commands clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Called the troops in reply. I nodded in approval, reining in my horse. I was about to kick its side once to send her forward, but my eye caught the sight of Maka shaking in her saddle. I gave the troops the command to move forward at a walk, then trotted over to Maka.

"Albarn," I said quickly. We had begun calling each other by our last names since she had begun comforting me, rather than simply saying "soldier", or in her case "sir" or "commander". "What's the problem?" I continued.

She looked up to face me, her eyes wide with fright. "This… This is the real thing," She squeaked out. I nodded gravely.

"Yes," I replied, "But I know you're strong. You're the toughest soldier in the regiment, Albarn. I know you can do this."

She only nodded once, her emerald eyes fixed upon the gate before us. I sighed, and much to both of our surprise, I placed my hand on hers.

"Strength in numbers," I smiled a little in reassurance, quoting her. I then turned back around to face the gate, my smile fading as I kicked my horse into a canter. I soon heard her horse behind mine as the gates opened.

Just a hand, with quivering fingers splattered with titans' blood after her first battle.

Maka's face was full of resolve and strength, but her eyes had dulled. Not everyone we set out with had come back alive, and I saw that effect in her gaze. I put a comforting hand on her shoulder as a reined my horse near hers. She looked over at me for a moment, and then nodded one silently. Maka was a soldier now; she had killed her first titan, but not before it did the same to her comrade. It was as if she had obtained a rite of passage.

Just a hand, one that belonged to a girl whom I had to comfort that night.

I traveled to Maka's room when I heard her scream in her sleep. I sighed when I saw her thrash in bed, and quietly pulled up the stool in her room so that it was next to her and sat down upon it, as she had done for me. Still following her previous actions, I then took her hand. Her fits stopped almost instantly, though I couldn't sleep in this position like she could. As a result, I woke up the next morning with my torso resting on her mattress, while the rest of me still sat on the stool. My hand remained holding hers. She stirred at about the same time as I did, and blinked lazily to look at me. She looked confused for a moment, but then she saw our hands. Just as I was about to say something, suddenly Maka jumped up and hugged me.

"Thank you," She whispered. I was surprised for a moment, but then I relaxed and slowly hugged her back.

"You're welcome," I told her.

Just a hand, one whose fingers would always entwine subconsciously with mine as Maka slept.

After one particularly horrifying battle, I didn't even have to go to Maka's room to comfort her. She rushed into mine, jumping in my bed and curling against me.

"Soul," She whimpered, shaking as if she was freezing, "Can I stay here tonight?"

I smiled a little at her. "Of course, Maka. Seems like you're here already, anyway," I murmured, kissing her temple gently as I pulled the bed sheets up and around us. I loved how her face reddened, and I chuckled a little.

"Calm down, Albarn," I joked, relaxing against her. She quickly settled down and did the same, and I soon heard the gentle breathing that signified her sleep. I eventually followed suit, holding her to me. Neither of us experienced any nightmares that night.

Just a hand that she wrapped around me as we fought off nightmares.

Just a hand that held mine as we sat together at meals.

Just a hand that slapped me playfully when I cracked bad jokes, as I did frequently since she brought joy back into my life.

Just a hand that held her horse's reins proudly as we rode past the wall's gates.

Just a hand that raised her weapon high in the air and was the last thing I saw when I became separated from my regiment.

I called out Maka's name when I could no longer see her emerald eyes. I saw a flash of blonde hair and her weapons raised in position to strike, but that was it. The forest was too thick. Too tall. Too loud. I felt as if the trees were closing in. I didn't know what to do without my regiment… Or my Maka. Her words echoed within my mind;

"Strength in numbers."

Where were my numbers? Where was my strength?

"Retreat!" I called out, hoping my troops would hear me over the thundering footsteps that promised destruction. "Forty-second regiment, RETREAT!"

Only half of my troops made it back alive.

I was devastated, my mind plagued with failure. I had led my troops to slaughter. I had let them down, betrayed their trust. I just prayed Maka would forgive me as I searched for her among the injured after our return; only her words mattered to me.

It was then that Black*Star brought me the weapon. The blade was caked in blood, but my attention was drawn to what held the hilt.

Just a hand.

That's all that was left of her.

"I saw her, Commander," Murmured Black*Star, "She fought better than any of us. She killed two of them, but one came from behind, and…" He trailed off as he viewed the utter agony in my eyes. I took her hand from him, prying her lifeless fingers from the hilt of her weapon that they still clutched so dutifully. Blood began to cover my hands, but I didn't notice. I held her hand to my chest, staining my uniform with her crimson blood as well. Her fingers were so tiny, her skin so soft…

A heart-wrenched cry split my throat as I wept for my fallen comrade. No, Maka is more than a comrade. Or was.

Just a hand.

That's all that was left of her.

* * *

**Sorry for being depressing. But I did good for only having watched five episodes of AoT, right? (Well, I needed a friend's help for a little of it...) Yes, you read that right. AoT creeps me out, and I only managed to watch five episodes, and that was while my friend was telling me when to hide behind my Soul plushie. I need help...**

**Next chapter: Crona's Monster (AU, reference to the Meg and Dia song)**


	2. The Candid Ruler

**I really need to find the muse to do these quicker... Sorry guys. Have some Vocaloid :D *I disclaim* I don't own Vocaloid, their song lyrics, or Soul Eater.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 3: The Candid Ruler**

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Description: Crona, Queen Patricia's most courageous guard (actually he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time) is sent to recover the Queen's sister in a noble quest. At least, that's what Patty thinks. Their queen has been playing a bit too many adventure games. (Vocaloid's "Death Should Not Have Taken Thee!" AU.)

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"And another one of your soldiers has been captured," Recited the game master from her position behind the instructions. "And executed. You lose 10 points."

"Alas, death should not have taken thee!" Sighed the Queen. She did enjoy a good role-playing game, but to be honest, she wasn't very good at them. Castle staff played with her to entertain their ruler, and in complete contrast to her highness, rather hated the games despite their luck with them.

Queen Patricia's father, the king himself, had rode into war alongside his knights some years ago, leaving his two daughters to guard the kingdom in his leave. Unfortunately, he was quite drunk upon his exit, and had named his younger daughter, only ten at the time, ruler of the kingdom until his return. He had died upon the battlefield, but Patricia, or Patty as she liked to be called, hadn't mourned her father for long. She enjoyed the position of queen that her father had foolishly left her with. She never remembered her mother, seeing as the former queen had died soon after Patty was born.

"Now Soul has to roll for the damage he was dealt by the enemy's forces," Read Tsubaki, the castle's chef. Soul, one of her majesty's groundskeepers, grumbled something about being stuck playing this game as he rolled the dice.

Patty clapped and giggled. "Too much damage! You lose!" She exclaimed.

Soul glared at the dice, as if shooting them in a harsh enough gaze could change the numbers on the top. "Curse this game," He muttered.

"And with that," Smiled Tsubaki, "Kid wins."

"And therefore this game's over," Sighed Kid, the castle's head of staff, with relief. "Pardon me, your majesty, but I must get back to my job." He stood and left quickly. Black*Star the squire followed, along with Soul and Tsubaki, who waved a little in goodbye. Maka, Patty's lady-in-waiting, stood as well.

"May I be excused, your highness?" She asked. Patty sighed.

"Fine. Go flirt with that groundskeeper you like," The Queen grinned, causing her maid to blush.

"I-i fancy no man," She quickly tried to defend herself as she rushed out the door. "No one. Especially not Soul..."

Patty laughed. "I didn't even say his name!" She guffawed. Maka was quick to close the door behind her. Patty calmed down quickly upon her exit, choosing instead to busy herself with strolling down to the throne room and seating herself comfortably. She closed her eyes with a relaxed sigh. Her period of soothing silence was to be short-lived, however.

"Majesty!"

Patty opened one eye lazily. "What?" She muttered, looking at the shaking guard who had just hurried into her throne room. He had choppy pink hair that had been pulled to the side in a small ponytail, and his lavender eyes were wide with fright.

"HELP!" He shouted, darting forward to stand before Her Majesty.

Patty groaned, closing her eyes again. "With what?" She muttered. "I'm a very busy Queen, mister guard, or whatever your name is."

The guard gulped. Some who had bothered the Queen in the past had been instantly imprisoned. But he knew that his cause was important, so he continued to speak. "I am called C-crona, milady!" He proclaimed, albeit with a stutter. "And I c-came to tell y-you that..."

"Spit it out, kid!" Patty snapped. "It feels an awful lot like you're just wasting my time..."

Crona paused for a moment, but then summed up the courage and finally spat it out; "Th... The Princess has been kidnapped!"

Patty's attention was instantly grabbed. Her sister, Princess Elizabeth... Kidnapped? The Queen's eyes widened as she began to stare off into space. "This is just like level forty-two of Castles and Chimeras..." She whispered to herself. Crona tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Come again?"

Patty turned back to her guard, an ecstatic grin now on her face. "Yay, a real adventure game!" She clapped. "Of course, if the Princess has been kidnapped, there must be a valiant hero! And what of the hero, young guard?"

Crona had gone from scared to confused to incredulous. The Queen's sister was missing, and all she could do was compare this to a role-playing game? "Um... Well," Began the guard, "There isn't one, I suppose."

"Hm..." Patty appeared deep in thought once again.

"_Man, her expressions change a_ lot," Thought Crona as he watched her. Suddenly the Queen leaped off her throne and cheerily grabbed Crona's shoulders.

"Okay!" She grinned.

Crona tilted his head to the side again. "Eh?" He asked, deeply confused.

Patty merely continued to grin as she spoke on. "In that case, YOU'RE the hero!" And just as quickly as she had grabbed him, Patty skipped off, speaking swiftly about the guard's task as "the hero". Crona sighed.

"_If this really was an adventure game,_" He thought to himself as he followed her, "_There goes the setting."_

Patty skipped down the hall to the treasure room, unlocking it with her personal key and throwing open the doors for Crona. "Now there's treasure chests all around that you're gonna wanna open. You have to head out, find some party members, defeat the monsters..."

Crona's eyes widened. "You're giving me all this?" He marveled. Patty laughed.

"Of course not, silly! But every player at the start of a Castles and Chimeras game begins their quest with fifty pounds!" She said, handing him the money.

The guard's initial reaction was to stare in astonishment at the fortune he had just been offered, but then his look became one of slight annoyance. "Your highness... You're not taking this seriously, are you?" He sighed. But Patty continued to chatter on.

"Oh, and if you're in a pinch, talking to the citizens is a cinch! They can give good advice and items!" She grinned. "Defeat all those bosses! Knock 'em down good!" She cheered as she grabbed Crona's arm and pulled him out of the treasure room. She soon pulled him out the castle doors. "Now go out there and win the game!"

Crona's eye twitched. "... For real?"

"We've gotta find the enemy forces..." Patty said, strolling through town now. "Depending on what they rolled, they couldn't have much speed..." She turned towards Crona. "What are you doing?"

The guard gulped. "S-shaking in my boots," He mumbled. "I'm not a h-hero, your majesty. I was only assigned to guard the princess last week..."

Patty sighed. "Crona, or whatever your name is..."

"You actually got it right that time..."

"You gotta be proud!" The Queen proclaimed. Citizens were starting to stare at the Queen who had mysteriously showed up in the middle of town.

Crona shuffled his feet. "Can I really be proud when I'm not that great...?"

"Of course!" Patty beamed at him. "Because you truly are the greatest! You're the hero, after all! And since this kingdom's in danger, you've gotta defend it! I command you so!"

Crona looked up at his queen. "I..." All his instincts were telling him to walk away from the mad queen, but she needed him to fight for their kingdom... He sighed again. "I'll act on behalf of the people," He said, then added quietly to himself, "But geez, you're really on a high perch for being so immature..."

Patty tilted her head. "What was that last bit?"

"Nothing!" Crona quickly exclaimed. Patty looked confused for a moment, then dragged Crona off again.

"Now you go out and get some experience points, okay? 'Cause you'll need 'em. You usually can find stuff in the field," She pointed outside of town. "There's a lot of random enemies out there. Oh, but there are also party members. You need to find them, too."

The young guard's head was spinning. "I'm not sure if I can deal with having to remember all this..."

Patty beamed at him, shoving him out towards the open country. "Don't worry! If you get stuck, just check the instructions manual!"

Crona paled. "_Instruction manual?!_" He thought, gulping. As they grew closer to around to the field, he asked a question that had been pressing on his mind. "If I'm supposed to be a wonderful hero, can I get paid vacation?"

Patty grinned again. "Nope!" She declared, giving him one final push and sending him sprawling into the grass directly outside the village. "Verily, I wait with bated breath for the day you defeat the last boss!"

"_She only speaks properly when she's trying to sound dramatic..._" Crona sighed, but headed forward anyway. The Queen waved.

"Go, protect our land and restore to it its peace! I shall direct from sidelines and tell thee thy experience points!" She hollered.

Crona rolled his eyes. "Wonderful," He sighed to himself, walking into the woods and out of sight of his Queen. He began talking to himself jadedly. "Man, she's real encouraging... Well, I guess I've gotta be in better spirits about this. I mean, I do have the privilege to have been sent out on a quest by the Queen herself... Maybe she'll recognize my loyalty and call me a hero!" He smiled a little.

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Crona did as commanded. He assembled a band of noble warriors... Well, more or less. He mostly recruited any castle staff that wanted a break from entertaining the Queen. The guard and his party proceeded to journey into the countryside, where they were mostly very bored until they were attacked by bandits.

After Crona didn't come home at 7 that evening, which Patty had proclaimed was the guard's time to report, she sighed as she slumped in her throne. "Their party has been annihilated... Their levels must not have been high enough," She muttered. "I'll have to get Priest Justin to pray for their deaths, or do something priestly like that." She glanced up at the ceiling, terribly bored. "But there goes the hero... So the game's over." She sighed.

At that moment, the doors flew open. A very battered-looking Crona trudged in with all of his "party members".

"We... We made it," He panted. "Those bandits were rough, but we escaped," He smiled a little. "I'd say that was pretty heroic."

Patty sighed again. "That'd be nice an' all if you weren't dead," She mumbled. "Alas, death should not have taken thee."

Crona raised an eyebrow. "What? But, um, we're not dead."

"Yes you are."

"No we aren't."

"You didn't report in by the designated reporting time. By the rules of Castles and Chimeras, you're dead."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Can't argue with the rule book, guard boy!"

"Does that mean I'm done with this wild goose-"

"But!"

"Oh dear."

"I shall give you another life!"

Every party member shared a collective groan. Soul glared a little at Crona. "Get her to change her mind," He whispered harshly. Crona gulped again.

"Why me?"

Soul rolled his eyes. "'Cause you're the leader. Do it."

Crona sighed, turning to face Patty, who was currently staring at them as if wondering why they hadn't left her throne room yet. "Majesty!" Crona declared.

Patty nodded. "What is it?"

Crona took a deep breath. "This... This is impossible. My party's tired and we have absolutely no lead on whoever might have captured the princess. I think we should quit."

Patty's expression suddenly became angered.

"_Oh darn_," Crona paled, "_This is what I didn't want to happen..._"

"Quit?" Patty repeated. "Quit?! You can't just quit a noble quest! More embarrassing than your death is your SASS!"

"I keep on telling you we didn't die!"

* * *

As they set up camp that night, the party members were getting restless.

"Ya know, I thought there'd be more adventure outside the castle," Muttered Soul as he leaned back against a tree. "Couldn't you choose anyone else to go on a quest with you?"

"Well," Began Tsubaki, "Our land does have a lot of economic and military power. Odds are, there's got to be others in the kingdom you could recruit with abilities like that."

Crona sighed. "But you guys were the only ones who volunteered. I went around the whole village and no one else wanted to do it."

Black*Star laughed. "It's not the people that's the problem; no one wants to follow that nut-job Queen."

"True," Remarked Maka, "She never gets really involved in any of her country's matters; she's always sending someone else to do them for her."

Kid, the Queen's personal tutor, smirked a little. "So, to put it nicely, she's pure. To put it badly..."

"She's an idiot," Soul finished. The camp erupted into laughter.

"But seriously," Kid continued once the laughter had died down. "Crona should go talk to her. Get her to change her mind or something."

The guard wrapped his arms around himself nervously. "I already tried. You saw how she reacted. She got really angry at me, and next time she could have me beheaded. I'm not sure I could deal with not having a head..."

Despite his nervousness, Crona was shoved into the Queen's throne room alone the next evening to discuss matters with her.

"So... You see," The guard continued. "Maybe you can be a bit more... Agreeable? And, um, listen? To your people?"

The Queen looked pensive. "Look, Crona, all humanity is a species of war. We don't have time for willing personalities and adaptability."

"It would help..."

"But onto your gaming information," Patty continued, disregarding the guard entirely. "To reach the next level, thy experience points must increase by 1000, but thy also needs to be more confident! So don't give in, OK?"

Crona sighed. "My confidence is definitely something that needs working on..."

"You'll also need to learn how to mix potions. You should be at a high enough level that you can unlock that skill. You'll need to memorize the names of all the ingredients, what they do, and where to find them. There's Telissa, Boroso, Zanshi, Palante..."

"What is all that?"

"And Holit, of course. Holit's important, but it's all that monks make. They're not very versatile. Frankly, they're all Holidiots."

"This all seems really tedious..."

"Yeah, mixing potions is boring. It puts I, your ruler, to sleep! But they're necessary if you're going to defeat the final boss!"

"I really don't feel like doing this, your Highness..."

"What?! Who do you think you are to go against my orders? Is this a rebellion?!"

"No ma'am!" Crona exclaimed, nervous. The Queen was getting riled, and he didn't want to be in the middle of it. "_Think, Crona, THINK! I need to get her to let my party out of this quest, but I don't want her to kill me... If only she could pick someone else, but then they'd be stuck in this..._" He thought frantically. Suddenly, realization struck him. "_That's exactly it!_" "Your majesty?"

Patty stopped talking for just a moment. "Yes, my humble servant?"

Crona gulped once. "_Now or never._" "I... I am not the hero, Majesty. I can't be; I'm not worthy. Rather, Majesty, I believe you are the hero!"

Patty's eyes widened. She thought for a moment, considering this. "Well, if I went off to war, throwing myself at the front lines, then my approval rating would go up, and I'd get more money when talking to citizens!" She beamed. Her face fell quickly, however. "But... I could die. That'd be bad. Then people'd be crying 'Death should not have taken thee' over my dead body..."

"That sounds ominous..."

"And chances are, if I died, then we wouldn't be able to get ant info on the dark lord's forces."

"What dark lord? You think a dark lord captured Princess Elizabeth?!" Crona exclaimed. "_She needs to quit playing those adventure games..._"

"So, since you're not worthy of being hero..."

"Hey!"

"You said it, not me. Anyway, we'll just sit here in safety and await the true hero!" Patty smiled. "That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?"

Crona sighed again. "But, your highness, you've got to stop sending others to do your work..."

"I'm doing nothing of the sort!" The Queen retorted. "I'm just... No match for those enemy guys..." She grinned awkwardly.

Crona slumped over in exasperation. "Really..."

"Patty, are you serious?!" Declared an irritated voice from behind the palace doors as they were swung open suddenly, causing both Crona and Patty to gape at the sight of a perfectly unharmed Princess Elizabeth. "I told you specifically that I was going to take a trip to the next kingdom for a week! Can I not leave you for that long without you trying to start a war?!"

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**Rate and review, guys ;) Next up, WoodenToaster's "Rainbow Factory" AU. That'll have me writing stuff I'm better at LOL See ya next chap! :D**


	3. Rainbow Philosophy

****I don't own the song "Rainbow Factory", or bits of this fic that were inspired by the original "Rainbow Factory" fanfic or BronyDanceParty's music video of "Awoken". Or Soul Eater. Yeah, I need to add that.****

****Of Monsters and Demons****

****Chapter 4: Rainbow Philosophy****

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Description: In a reborn world, humans must control the weather themselves in Weather Factories. And according to Soul's brother, Wes, to work in the Rainbow Factory is a most noble calling. But when Soul begins to work for the factory himself, he discovers that no pot of gold awaits at the end of a rainbow, rather a warehouse of secrets that can drive men to madness. (Glaze's "Rainbow Factory" AU, Steampunk AU, dystopian AU. Warnings: Character death and Asura being disturbing. 3-Parter)

* * *

Soul knew the story well. It wasn't one his father would easily let him forget, anyway. Being nobles of the city of Pegasus, his family owed their great wealth and lifestyle to the history he recited.

He spoke of the day the world stopped working.

No one saw it coming, no matter how much they claimed to. It just stopped. Weather stopped, waves stopped, seasons stopped. It was the day that people had previously predicted as the world's end.

But the world didn't end. It just stopped working. Scientists assumed that the immense layer of smog and pollution that has risen above that atmosphere had affected weather patterns and climate. They continued to speculate, but no one could ever say for certain that they were right. The world had stopped working, and there was no reversing it.

War broke out among the planet the Earth's rapidly depleting resources. Because of this, civilization itself was shattered. Technology was all but utterly destroyed, and once people began to work together again, they had to invent new ways of living. Luke Evans led them in discovering the use of clockwork and steam, and once again people owned vehicles and appliances. But Evans didn't stop there. With the aid of propellers, he gave mankind access to flying cars and ships. It was then, through Evans' discoveries and technology, that humanity could control the weather themselves through factories placed on their new flying cities. Held up with propellers and covered with glass domes, these were perhaps the most influential devices created using what had come to be called "Evanstech".

"As descendants of Luke Evans," Richard Evans explained to his sons (as he did often), "You boys must carry the family name with pride and honor. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Recited Soul and Wesley, aged seven and twelve respectively.

Later that evening, before they went off to bed, Wesley led Soul to one of their large glass windows from which you could see the deep expanse of night sky that their city of Pegasus was suspended in.

"When I grow up, Soul," Wesley smiled as he gazed at the stars that appeared close enough to grab, "I wanna be great, like Dad says. I wanna really help people. So I'm gonna work in a weather factory."

Soul frowned a little. "But if you go work in another city's Weather Factory, then you'll have to leave Pegasus. I don't want you to leave," He murmured.

Wesley, or "Wes", as Soul called him, chuckled. "Don't worry, Soul Eater," He called him that when he wanted to cheer Soul up or help him feel strong; it never failed to make him smile. "I'm not gonna leave you. I'll work right here in Pegasus," He promised. "I'm gonna work in the Rainbow Factory."

Wes continued to claim that the Rainbow Factory was the most important of all the Weather Factories. For while facilities like Rain Factory and Wind Factory were practical, the Rainbow Factory projected colorful arches of hope across the skies. And hope was desperately needed, as another war had broken out, this time over the East's precious coal mines. The rainbows were needed to empower the soldiers, to encourage them to keep fighting. For without that coal and steam power, the flying cities of the West couldn't fly anymore and would have to sink. Wes refused to let that happen, so at age eighteen, with the war still ravaging the earth below, he mailed his application to the Rainbow Factory.

"To work in the Rainbow Factory," Wes explained to Soul as he put his application letter in the mailbox, "I needed to finish high school with lots of smarts about machinery, technology, and stuff like human biology and psychology."

"What does knowing stuff about people have to do with working in a factory?" A thirteen-year-old Soul asked his brother, who shrugged with a grin.

"How should I know? I just know that I want to work in that factory, and that Mom and Dad both think it's a noble thing to do, so I'm going to please them while achieving my dream," He said.

Soul began to smile again, displaying his irregular pointed teeth. "Then I'm gonna work there too, and please all three of you."

A week later, Wes received his acceptance letter. He began packing immediately. "What they do in the Rainbow Factory is top-secret. They won't let me come home every day, but I probably still can take vacations. And I'll write to you as much as I can," He promised as he walked out the front door. A white van waited at the edge of the yard for him. Wes ruffled Soul's hair playfully. "I'll see you soon, Soul Eater."

As the car drove away, down the streets of the city towards the factory, Soul was suddenly hit with a terrible gut feeling. Like what just happened was completely wrong. Like Wes shouldn't have left for the factory.

Like Soul would never see his brother again.

Days turned into weeks, which then became months, which, in turn, transformed into years, and still Soul heard nothing from Wes. Every time he brought up the topic with his parents, they insisted that Wes was busy doing his "noble" work and just couldn't contact them yet. But Soul knew that something was amiss, even though his parents seemed oblivious. This only encouraged him to go to the Rainbow Factory himself and discover what was keeping his brother away.

First came the high school diploma with excellent grades in machinery, technology, and human biology and psychology. Next, his application letter was sent in. Soon after, his acceptance letter arrived, followed by the white van.

Soul lifted his suitcase into the rear of the van after a brief and curt goodbye to his parents. He didn't bring much; uniforms were provided. The driver didn't even glance at him as the white-haired teen climbed into the passenger's seat. Soul noticed that his driver had multiple piercings and serrated teeth.

"Name's Giriko," The other man mumbled curtly, "Your coworker."

Soul was silent for a minute. "Soul," He said quietly. "Soul Eater."

Giriko smirked. "Odd name," Was all he said. The rest of the ride was entirely silent,as gradually the Rainbow Factory came into view.

Giriko pulled in behind the factory, to a much less glamorous side of the large, white warehouse. While the front of the building was well-painted and glossy, the rear was bordered with dumpsters and the paint was peeling, revealing the rusted metal underneath. Soul grimaced slightly at the sight as he got out of the van. Giriko simply strode inside after he shut the van off, leaving Soul to grab his bag and and follow through the single door. They entered into a dimly-lit hallway, where stood a well-dressed man in a red suit. What startled Soul was his hair; each strand was colored as if it was a vertical eye.

"Welcome," The man grinned in a voice so smooth it was unsettling, "To the Rainbow Factory. I am Asura, CEO of this corporation. We're always happy for new recruits, you see, so we're extremely glad you've come. Giriko will take your bag whilst I introduce you to your new workplace," The man smiled, before he turned and began walking off, Soul following.

Soul was silent while Asura showed him the locations of the bunks and offices. He saw no sign of Wes. As if reading his mind, Soul's new employer spoke of a subject other than cubicles.

"So, you're an Evans?" He asked. "No doubt descended from Luke Evans, if your nobility proves anything."

Soul nodded. "Yeah," He confirmed, but then tried to push the conversation where he wanted it to go. "My brother Wes, er, Wesley, works here. He started five years ago, and I haven't talked to him since. Any chance I could see him?"

Asura didn't even stop walking as he replied. "My dear boy, you are mislead. Wesley doesn't work here."

Soul froze. He got that feeling again, that something was very wrong, but Asura suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him along.

"You didn't let me finish." The voice of Soul's employer remained eerily calm. "As I was about to say, Wesley doesn't work here. But he did at one time, before that mechanical failure..."

Soul began to resist him, but Asura's grip on his shoulder remained firm as the older man pulled him into what appeared to be an operation room. Two people in lab coats stood to meet them, but each was grinning. The silver-haired man with the bolt through his head had crazed eyes and a large, insane grin, while the blonde woman had a dark-looking smirk that helped her face resemble a snake's.

"Doctors Stein, Medusa," Asura nodded to each doctor accordingly. "This is Soul Evans, Wesley's brother. Fit him with the improved gear.

Stein and Medusa took hold of Soul's arms, pulling him forward and throwing his shirt off. As they dragged him to the operation table, the red-eyed teen dug his heels into the floor and began to verbally protest.

"What are you doing?! Let go! What kind of sick joke is this?!" He yelled, trying to pull away, but Medusa suddenly pulled a syringe from her pocket and stuck it in Soul's arm. To his horror, Soul found his consciousness slipping and his strength draining, and the two doctors easily lifted him into the operation table. They placed his back facing upward, so Soul had to turn his head to glare at Asura, who was now grinning as well.

"What happened to my brother?" Hissed Soul.

Asura chuckled. "To explain what happened to him, I must first explain what is going to happen to you." Soul struggled to remain conscious as the madman spoke. "Wesley was fitted with Wingear, a great scientific advancement engineered right here in the factory for our purposes. Mechanical wings are attached to the shoulders of a man, enabling him to fly. Wesley was our first test subject. He was in charge of making sure the varying devices were working properly, as we continued to discover that those who used ladders to inspect them kept tipping over and falling into the Tub. So we thought wings would function better."

So many questions ran through Soul's mind. What devices? What Tub? Would he be working as Wes did? However, he could no longer speak out of the exhaustion produced by the drugs they had injected into his arm, which were quickly spreading throughout his body.

"But, unfortunately," Asura shrugged, "About four years ago, we had to go back to using ladders until the Wingear was perfected. You see, one day they stalled on poor Wesley, and he fell down, down, down, into the Tub," He grinned like the madman he was as he spoke, singsongy, "And that was how your brother died."

This was the last thing Soul heard before he entirely blacked out, unable to let out the scream of agony he so wanted to.

Wes had been dead for four years.

When he finally woke, the first thing Soul was aware of was the throbbing pain in his shoulders.

"He's waking up," Said the woman, Medusa. "Stein, be a dear and contact Asura for me, would you?" She purred at her coworker as Soul sat up. But as he did so, he heard the sound of clinking metal behind him. He turned to find the source of the sound, and froze in horror.

Two mechanical wings with thin, sheet metal feathers were attached to Soul's shoulders.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Asura smirked as he stepped in soon after Stein paged him. "Of course, you'll have to get custom uniforms to fit around them, but with these wings, you shall be able to fly through the air. Isn't that marvelous?"

Soul glared at him. "It's not marvelous. It's sick. You're all sick," He growled.

Asura simply shrugged. "Say what you like, but there is no changing the fact that there are now metal attachments hooked up to your bones, veins, and muscles. Therefore, you are now physically ready to enter into your new workplace. Follow me, please." His tone told that he wasn't asking, so Soul slid off the operation table, wincing at the pain in his shoulders as the metal dragged him down.

"Don't drag those," Medusa snapped. "Fold your wings onto your back. We've hooked up your nerves to do so."

The red-eyed teen shot the snake woman a scowl before doing as he was told. The latter smirked.

"Good boy," She said. "Mustn't scratch the finish. Now, just a friendly warning," Her harshness dropped, now covered by a kind facade. "Asura said you were physically prepared for this job. I don't doubt that. However, there is no way on this earth that you could possibly be mentally prepared for life in the Rainbow Factory."

Soul's jaw set in a grim line. "I'll keep that in mind," He mumbled before he continued to follow Asura.

"It was so much fun taking you apart!" Stein called after him.

Jogging a little, Soul quickly caught up to Asura, and then slowed down to keep pace with him. Without even a glance at him, the older man continued to talk. "You have seen the bunks and offices. However, you shan't be working there. Your workplace will be quite different than cubicles," He explained. Upon coming to a single, plain-looking white door in a hallway barren of other entrances, Asura halted, with Soul following suit. "On the other side of this door," The black-and-white-haired man began, "Miracles are made. Colorful rainbows are sent from here to empower the soldiers struggling in the war, and to encourage and delight all on the earth below," He spoke. "But," He added, startling Soul a little, "Everything comes with a price. The greater the act, the greater the price. And because rainbows are such a wonderful thing..." He began to grin like the madman he was as he spoke, "... They carry quite a heavy price."

At this, Asura threw open the door, and the sounds of the Rainbow Factory reached Soul's ears. There were sounds of machinery pounding in rhythm, of clanking metal, and of churning gears. But what froze Soul to the spot, what petrified him, were the screams.

"Once again, welcome to the Rainbow Factory," Laughed Asura, "Where fears and horrors became reality, and not a single _Soul_," He grinned, "Escapes."

* * *

**Who's ready for part 2? I'll have it up soon :) Soul's Wingear is a reference to the "Awoken" Rainbow Factory video by H8Seed+Glaze and BronyDanceParty, in which a grey pegasus posesses mechanical wings rather than natural ones. Rate** and review, guys ;) See ya next chap! :D****


	4. Bloodstained Chrome

****I don't own the song "Rainbow Factory", or bits of this fic that were inspired by the original "Rainbow Factory" fanfic or BronyDanceParty's music video of "Awoken", or Soul Eater.****

****Of Monsters and Demons****

****Chapter 5: Bloodstained Chrome****

* * *

Description: In a reborn world, humans must control the weather themselves in Weather Factories. And according to Soul's brother, Wes, to work in the Rainbow Factory is a most noble calling. But when Soul begins to work for the factory himself, he discovers that no pot of gold awaits at the end of a rainbow, rather a warehouse of secrets that can drive men to madness. (Glaze's "Rainbow Factory" AU, Steampunk AU, dystopian AU. Warnings: Character death and Asura being disturbing. Part 2 of 3)

* * *

Soul stared, horrified, as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the large room. Chains hung from the ceiling; around the wall was a metal track with platforms and chrome control desks, and in the center of the room sat the Tub.

It was a large, white cylindrical vat, with seven tubes positioned vertically against it, each with a different color of the rainbow filling them about halfway. Pipes led away from the tubes, across the floor, and through the wall.

"That leads to the tour-safe portion of the factory," Asura continued to chuckle, "Where the rainbows are processed and projected. But a rainbow's life starts here," He looked down at Soul with an eerie grin, "When another life ends."

Soul's wide eyes had been constantly fixed on what was suspended above the Tub, and the source of the screams echoing through the room: a man, held by the chains suspended from the roof. As he cried out in vain for help, another machine directly in front of him and in the roof drew back its pointed mechanical arm, before it suddenly shot forward and ran the man through. It was then that the clasps on the chains released, sending the man plummeting downward, into the dark substance of the Tub. More machinery was fired up as the Tub began pumping out vibrant colors.

"Living humans," Purred Asura, "Are the key ingredient to a man-made rainbow. Their soul's energy, combined with their blood and the chemicals from the Tub, produce the most beautiful thing in the sky," He said. "As you've already seen, we find it helpful to pierce the body beforehand to speed up the process. Your new job is to inspect that machine, the chains, and the other parts on the ceiling to make sure they're functioning properly. I'll leave you to it."

And before Soul could comprehend what was happening, Asura had closed the door, locked it, and left.

Panic rose in Soul as his stomach lurched. He ran to the door, pounding on it.

"You can't keep me here!" He cried. "This is sick! You hear me? SICK! Let me out!"

"It's no use."

Soul whipped around to the voice behind him, and encountered a boy who appeared to be around his age, wearing the white coverall uniform typical to the Rainbow Factory workers. His eyes were a strange shade of gold, and his dark hair was decorated with three horizontal white stripes on the right side of his head.

"You can't get out now," The other teen continued. "You've been recruited to the Factory. You're stuck here until you fall into the Tub accidentally, or you get sent in because you've gone so mad from working here that you're no longer of any use. They can't let you out or contact the outside world, because you might let our secrets slip."

Soul narrowed his eyes at the other boy. "And who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" He snapped. The raven-haired teen raised an eyebrow in surprise. Despite the hopelessness of the red-eyed boy's situation and the utter despair he must feel, there remained a fire in his soul and a spark in his mouth.

"You may know me as Kid," Spoke the golden-eyed teen, "And I want to let you know that I'm on your side."

Soul paused. "What do you mean?" He mumbled.

"I mean," Kid continued, "That I want out just as much as you do. But I'm stuck. We're all stuck. There's no escaping the Factory."

It was late enough in the day that no more people came in to serve as "Rainbow fuel", as the workers called it, so Soul retired to his new room soon after his arrival. It was a small room, with the same white walls and furniture that were typical to most areas of the factory. Opposite the door was a bunk bed, while against the adjacent left wall was a couch, and to the right was a small dresser. His suitcase had already been placed under the bed.

Soul's face was shadowed as he stepped in. But as soon as he had closed the door behind him, his hands flew to his head and clutched his hair. He clenched his teeth, breathing sharply as he dropped to his knees. Now that he was alone, the force of his situation hit him hard. Wes was dead, and now Soul had been mutated with metal to help send people to their deaths until he went insane. So the white-haired teen did the only thing he could do in protest.

He screamed.

Soul collapsed on the floor, sprawled and out of breath from his sudden outburst. "I..." He panted, eyes staring at nothing, "I'm... Sorry, Wes. I couldn't... Save you."

"Soul."

The red-eyed teen blinked. "... Wes?" He murmured.

"No. No, Soul. Not Wes. Snap out of it," Spoke a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

Soul closed his eyes. "All I want to hear... Is Wes," He said. "I want... To die."

"No, Soul, stop it! Snap out of it! It's that attitude that'll drive you mad and get you dumped in the Tub!"

Soul's eyes suddenly snapped open. At the mention of the Tub, something had clicked within his mind. He looked up at the other teen, who was kneeling before him with his hand on Soul's forehead.

"No fever," Continued Kid, gentler now. "I figured that might have been the cause of your confusion. It's quite possible to get a fever from the trauma you've been put through."

Soul sat up slowly to face him, shaking his head as if to clear it. "What are you doing here?" He asked Kid, whose expression remained neutral.

"I've moved in," He said matter-of-factly. "I'm your new roommate." He motioned with his head to the suitcase by the door, black with a strange skull emblem on it. "I came in here, and then I saw you seemingly passed out on the floor, but you were muttering.

Soul raised an eyebrow. "You didn't hear anything else?" He asked, to which Kid shook his head.

"The rooms are soundproofed, mostly to keep out the sounds of the people crying out in their sleep or screaming," Kid stated. Soul only nodded.

"_So he didn't hear my screams,_" He sighed a little with relief. Kid merely thought he looked distracted for a moment, and then Soul continued questioning him.

"So why did you decide to move in with me?" He asked. Kid shrugged as he stood.

"I think you're different than the other people that come to work here," He explained briefly. "There's a spark in your eyes that says you'll keep pushing forward no matter how tough things get." For the first time, Soul saw Kid smile. "Even if you need a little help."

Soul found out that night that with his new wings, he wasn't able to sleep on his back. But come morning, he found new uniforms placed in the dresser with holes to button around the Wingear. However, Soul knew immediately that these weren't made for him. The red "W" that his brother always put in fabric paint under the tag of all his clothes remained.

Soul followed Kid down to the workplace reluctantly. He wrapped his arms around himself and faced the floor, only seeing Kid's feet as the latter led the former along. Kid stopped after a moment, and Soul looked up to see his face.

"We're at the door," Murmured the golden-eyed teen. "Are you ready?"

Soul said nothing for a moment, but then he shook his head "no", to which Kid smiled sadly.

"Me neither," He replied, sighing. "It never gets easier." And with that, they both walked in together.

"I work up at that control panel," Said Kid, pointing upward to part of the metal track near the Tub. "I control the Spear and the release mechanisms in the chains, as well as moving them in their tracks across the ceiling.

Soul frowned. "So it's your job to kill them?" He asked quietly. Kid narrowed his eyes slightly, but not at Soul.

"No," He replied. "This is a group effort. We are all killers here, Soul. And Asura calls the shots."

No sooner had he spoken than the double-doors behind the Tub swung open and two men strode in, holding a struggling teen between them. He looked about Soul's age.

"Where are you taking me?! What are you doing, ya creeps?!" The man cried out in a foreign accent. Wordlessly, Kid stepped up the stairs to his place at the control panel. Soul took a deep breath, and then flapped his Wingear. To his amazement, he shot up into the air, but he didn't have time to marvel. The chains Kid controlled quickly shot down from the ceiling, the grinding of metal gears loud in everyone's ears. The two men restraining the prisoner quickly clasped the chains to his wrists, and then stepped away and back through the double-doors. The teen pulled against his chains even as the grinding began again and the length of the chains recessed into the grooves in the ceiling, hoisting him into the air at Soul's level. Despite the fact that every inch of his conscience was telling him this was wrong, Soul proceeded to do his job: inspecting the Spear machine, making sure the chains were fastened properly, and taking not of the condition of the chain gears.

"What are you doing to me?!" Rather than panic, the man's eyes reflected ferocity as he pulled at his chains. Soul remained silent, but at that moment another voice spoke up.

"Why, we're going to kill you, of course."

Soul stiffened, which caused his wings to falter, but he quickly collected himself. He continued his flapping, which created the loud noise of sheet metal scraping against itself while pushing air down. But that voice he had just heard would cause anyone who knew its source to cringe, and he could see Kid doing the same as Asura stepped through the door that led onto the platform.

"I just happened to be walking by when I heard your question," The madman continued. "So you're one of the lucky ones. You'll get to have all of this explained to you."

Soul glanced over at Asura in slight shock, but with more than a little anticipation. He was finally going to get more answers, however he feared that it might be better to stay in the dark.

"Ownership of this company has been passed along the family line ever since it was founded," Asura began. "When my father owned the company, he harvested energy for the rainbows he produced from plants and the like. However, when the company was handed over to me, I realized that people wanted their rainbows faster. Since the energy produced by plants was only enough to deliver a rainbow once every week, I knew I had to find a new source of energy. And so," His mouth split into a mad grin, "We now use live humans! With their Soul's energy, along with the perfect blend of their bodies and the Tub's chemicals, we can spit out vibrant rainbows once every day!"

Soul stared at Asura wordlessly, but the victim glared at the madman. "There's no way your government would allow that, even if you are filthy westerners," He spat. Realization struck Soul; this man was eastern, on the opposite side of the war.

Asura simply continued to grin in response to the victim's accusation. "That's where you're wrong," He said. "Humans are terribly greedy beings. And when they want something, they want it right then and there. The government told me the people wanted more rainbows, so they gave me the liberty to kill. And for fuel," He chuckled as if what he was about to say was hilarious, "They offered me prisoners of war."

The victim's eyes widened. "You've been killing my comrades," He breathed, to which Asura nodded.

"In fact," Continued the madman, "If we didn't continue to need, and therefore capture, prisoners, that war over 'territory' would probably be over by now," He shrugged. "Oh well. Back to business," He said casually. "Kid, finish him off."

Navigating with a few levers, Kid soon had the victim hanging above the Tub.

"Wait!" Called the victim suddenly, causing Kid to pause. "Let me live, and I'll work for you!"

Asura abruptly halted his exit. He turned around to face them again. "That's new," He smirked. "No one has ever wanted to work here after seeing what goes on inside."

The victim shrugged as best he could with his arms suspended above his head. Chuckling again, Asura told Kid, "Lower him onto the platform. If he tries anything, shoot him."

Kid raised an eyebrow, but obliged as he lowered the foreigner onto the platform. Asura nodded his approval before he once again stepped out, closing the rusted and creaking door behind him.

Soul, after a shaky landing on the platform, helped his new coworker to stand.

"I don't get it," Said the red-eyed teen. "There's nothing here other than killing. I know you guys from the East have a big sense of honor, so why did you want your life to be spared just so that you could kill others?"

The teen glanced sideways at Soul. The next words from his mouth were the last thing the winged man expected to hear.

"Are you stupid?"

Soul blinked in shock, as well as Kid.

"I didn't want to live to kill people," The man said as he rubbed his wrists where the chains had dug into them. "After seeing what happens here, I decided I'm gonna bust up this whole operation from the inside. That's why I wanted to 'work' here," He made quotation marks in the air with his fingers as he said this. The statement only shocked Soul and Kid more, but the golden-eyed teen decided not to ask many of the questions about this man that were whirling around around his mind at the moment, and just ask something simple.

"What's your name?" Asked Kid, to which the blue-haired teen smirked.

"Call me Black*Star."

It was decided by Soul and Kid that Black*Star would sleep in their room. The new teen voted to sleep on the couch and leave the other two in their beds.

"A big man like me can sleep fine anywhere," He grinned when they questioned his decision.

Soul and Kid got back to work as soon as their new roommate was situated, but the former quickly found that other prisoners weren't as brave or as lucky as Black*Star. Three more victims were brought in that day, and Soul watched each of them fall, kicking and screaming, their hands searching for something, _anything_, to grasp in thin air, and their eyes wide with both immense panic and the terrible realization that they were going to die. Then there was a splash as they hit and sunk into the frothing, thick waters of the Tub, and for one brief and haunting moment, there was silence. But the pumps were quickly fired up, filling the seven tubes and their pipes with vibrant colors. Soul could no longer appreciate their beauty.

* * *

****The name for this chapter is taken from a line of H8Seed+Glaze's song "Awoken", as the previous chapter's title is from a line of Glaze's song "Rainbow Factory". Rate and review, guys ;)See ya next chap! :D****


	5. Bright Eyes

**I don't own the song "Rainbow Factory", or bits of this fic that were inspired by the original "Rainbow Factory" fanfic or BronyDanceParty's music video of "Awoken", or Soul Eater.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 6: Bright Eyes**

* * *

Description: Description: In a reborn world, humans must control the weather themselves in Weather Factories. And according to Soul's brother, Wes, to work in the Rainbow Factory is a most noble calling. But when Soul begins to work for the factory himself, he discovers that no pot of gold awaits at the end of a rainbow, rather a warehouse of secrets that can drive men to madness. (Glaze's "Rainbow Factory" AU, Steampunk AU, dystopian AU. Warnings: Character death and Asura being disturbing. Part 3 of 3)

* * *

And so their life in the Factory began. Days turned into weeks, which then became months, which, in turn, transformed into years. And like Kid said: it never got easier, as Black*Star soon discovered. For despite the foreigner's big talk of escaping, he was the first to be gripped by insanity as a result of his work. Black*Star was to stand upon the track above the room and shoot those prisoners who physically injured their captors or made it anywhere in their attempts to escape, and it haunted him. Everything about the factory haunted all three of them, and they heard the victims' screams within their frequent nightmares. But Soul and Kid would be awoken in the night by Black*Star's frantic screaming in his sleep, and they'd have to calm him down. However, upon their lunch break one day, Kid pointed out something that Soul hadn't noticed.

"Have you seen Black*Star's eyes?"

Soul looked at him oddly from across the table. "What do you mean?" He asked. Kid wasn't looking at his white-haired friend across the table, but rather watching Black*Star assemble a sandwich at the lunch counter at the other end of the sorry-looking cafeteria.

"There's something different about his gaze," Murmured Kid. "Remember when I told you, Soul, that it never gets easier? Working here in the factory?"

Soul nodded, and Kid sighed before his voice dropped even more, and Soul nearly had to strain his ears to hear him.

"I think it's become easier for Black*Star."

Soul sighed in relief. "Kid, don't get me worked up like that again. I thought you were gonna say something bad."

Kid suddenly turned to fix Soul in a glare. "It _is _bad," He snapped, startling his friend.

"But," Began Soul, "If it gets easier for him, he'll stop having nightmares, right?"

Kid clenched his fists, gripping his pant legs so hard his knuckles turned white. "No, Soul," He whispered harshly. "He'll get even more nightmares. Don't you see? Don't you get it?! It's not getting easier for him because he's accepting the killing. It's getting easier for him because he's _enjoying _the killing."

Soul's eyes widened as he froze. Kid continued, in a voice barely audible, "Our friend's going mad."

Kid's statement was, unfortunately, confirmed that afternoon as an unusual prisoner of war was hauled in as fuel. She was entirely silent as she walked forward alone, without a factory escort. They felt no need to restrain her. Her long, black hair was held in a high ponytail and she wore a small combat uniform with long boots, but most striking of all were her violet eyes. Despite her silence, her irises still blazed with resolve.

"Hey you!" Black*Star shouted, pointing his gun at her from his place on the platform. "Step where the chains can get you!"

At the sound of his voice, the woman's head shot up. She stared at the blue-haired man, wide-eyed. "Black*Star?" She whispered.

In an opposite reaction to that of his former comrade, Black*Star's gaze hardened. "Tsubaki," He snapped curtly. "So you got yourself captured."

A small smile appeared on Tsubaki's face. "I thought you were dead," She told him.

"And you soon will be," Black*Star shot back. The girl's eyes widened again, but then they saddened.

"What happened to you?"

Suddenly Black*Star fired. Tsubaki jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullet.

"Don't I still mean anything to you?!" Tsubaki cried up at him. "Why are you doing this?! You're not the Black*Star I remember!"

Black*Star was silent for a moment, his face shadowed. "You failed me," He muttered.

Tsubaki froze. "What?"

Black*Star picked his head up to glare at her. "You failed me!" He yelled. "You got yourself captured! The Tsubaki I knew was stronger than that!"

With every word from Black*Star's mouth, more tears willed up in Tsubaki's eyes. She swiftly wiped them away, however, and looked up once again at the blue-haired man. "I don't know how this happened to you," She murmured as her fists clenched at her sides. "But I'm going to stop it." And then she bolted.

"Stop her!" Screamed Black*Star. "Keep her alive! I'll toss her in the Tub myself!"

Soul and Kid both stared at their friend. But while Kid merely appeared grim, Soul was shocked. How had he not noticed this happening to his friend? It was as if Black*Star had been replaced. However, now that he thought about it, Soul had noticed the blue-haired man becoming harsher. But to want to murder his former comrade, something within Black*Star had twisted until it snapped.

Other workers were already rushing after Tsubaki, with Black*Star in the lead. And because of their concerns for their friend's mental well-being, Soul and Kid followed.

Tsubaki was desperate to find a way out, and therefore to save Black*Star. He had been her closest friend in the army, and she couldn't bear to see him like that. Unfortunately, the raven-haired woman was blinded by that same desperation. She should have noticed when the workers stopped pursuing her, but she was too focused on her escape. Two doors stood before her at the end of the hallway. Thinking they looked promising, Tsubaki charged through them.

"I'm sorry."

Tsubaki's eyes widened as she saw Soul directly in front of her, and before she knew what was happening, he had clasped the chains of the Tub Room to her wrists.

"We stopped chasing you when we realized that you were coming back here, and took a different route," Soul continued. "Again, I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer this."

Tsubaki looked up at Soul, her eyes brimming with tears. "Then make it stop," She whispered. Soul froze. "Break out. Shut down the Factory."

Soul sighed. "I'll be killed before I get outside. We're not allowed to leave," He murmured.

"Soul!" Shouted Kid. "Are you finished hooking her up yet?"

"Just a minute!" Soul yelled back, before he turned once again to Tsubaki. "I want to shut down this place. But there's no chance I'd get out alive."

Tsubaki smiled sadly. "There's always a chance," She told him softly, "You decide for yourself whether it's worth the risk."

Soul stared at the violet-eyed woman, right until she was lifted by the chains into the air. Kid pulled her over to the platform directly adjacent to the Tub, where Black*Star stepped out onto the edge and grabbed her jaw.

"This is it, Tsubaki," He snapped. "Any last words?"

Tsubaki's violet eyes gazed calmly into Black*Star's own green irises, only to discover that the dark spark within the man's eyes had turned his pupils into what were practically miniature stars.

"You have beautiful eyes," She whispered.

"I've decided that I'm escaping," Said Soul casually that night, as the three roommates prepared for bed. Kid dropped the bedclothes he was carrying in shock.

"Are you mad?!" He accused the white-haired man. "You'll be killed!"

Soul sighed. "I'm better off dead than killing other people," He admitted. Kid looked ready to protest, right before Black*Star spoke.

"Guys... Why did I do that?"

Black*Star had been silent ever since he had heard Tsubaki's final words, and had done nothing but sit on the couch and stare vacantly at the wall adjacent to him since returning to their room. Because of this, the other two men were too startled to hear him talk in the first place to even attempt to try and answer his question, so the blue-haired man continued.

"Why did I hurt Tsubaki? I liked her. She was my friend. I think she wanted to be more than a friend, but I was too young and naive to notice that then. Still... I didn't have any reason to want to kill her. Do you think..." He paused, unsure if he wanted to say his next words, "Do you think... That the factory's getting to me? That I'm... Going insane?"

Kid was silent, watching the floor. Realizing that this was confirmation to his question, Black*Star said no more, gripping the arm of the couch in a mix of emotions.

Soul's own fists clenched. This was the final straw. "I'm not going to let you lose yourself to insanity, Black*Star," He snapped. "I'm busting you out. I'm busting us all out, and we're going to show the world what goes on in this factory. Once everyone realizes what's going on, they'll shut it down. No one will suffer working here or dying here ever again."

The other two men remained silent for another moment. Finally, Kid spoke up. "Soul," He began quietly, but then sighed. "This... This is madness. Why on Earth would you think it's possible? You saw what happened to Tsubaki. Why would you attempt something like that?"

Soul looked Kid square in the eye, and the golden-eyed man almost found himself shying back from the emotion his friend held in his red eyes: from great determination to great sorrow.

"Because I'm not losing another brother," Soul said.

Utter silence hung over the room for another minute, until Black*Star spoke up once again.

"Your plan's good, but you're missing something," He pointed out. "People will never believe us about the factory if we just tell them about it. We need to show them. So we're gonna bring down the wall that faces the city."

To anyone else, the next day began normally. But to Soul, Kid, and Black*Star, the workday held much more gravity. After discussing their plan of action, the three decided that they couldn't wait any longer. They were breaking down the wall that very day.

"The wall's thick to keep the sounds of the factory from reaching the city," Kid had explained. "It'll be difficult to break it down, but there are a few key points of weakness. I can use the Spear as a weapon to help bring it down, and Black*Star can use his gun. Soul, you'll need something."

With barely a moment's hesitation, Soul made his decision. "I want a hammer."

"There's one in the weapons room," Noted Black*Star. "I could've chosen it, and there are swords and stuff, but I wanted the gun."

"Then I'll sneak in there," Said Soul. Kid had nodded.

"That's it, then. The plan's set."

Everything was put in motion during the lunch break. Each of the three men went through the line and got their food, but ended up leaving it at the table as each left at different intervals and out different doors. For while Black*Star and Kid headed towards the Tub room, Soul left for the Weapons Department.

Entering the room was the easy part. However, after Soul had located and grabbed the hammer, he turned around to find another employee watching him. Soul recognized her as Shaula, the head of the Weapons Department, and one of the last people he would've liked to meet there.

"What are you doing here?" She snapped, her long red braid draping over her shoulder.

Thinking fast, Soul replied, "Black*Star lost his gun, and he wanted a new weapon," He explained quickly. Shaula raised an eyebrow.

"Then why aren't you getting him another gun?"

Soul was beginning to panic. "He... He said he wanted a change," He managed to say. Shaula fixed him in an accusing glare, but moved aside to let Soul though. Soul nodded in thanks, running off down the hallway. But as soon as he was out of earshot, Shaula turned on the pager on the wall.

"Asura? It's me, Shaula," She spoke. "Sorry to bother you during your lunch break, sir, but a worker with suspicious behavior is heading towards the Tub Room. You'll want to get over there."

As soon as Soul walked into the Tub room, he noticed a change. Since everyone else was on their lunch break, the only ones in the room were Kid, Soul, and Black*Star, and the blue-haired man was pointing at the wall and jumping up and down.

"Look, Soul! I fired at the wall and made a hole, and I can see sunlight!"

Soul stared at the hole that Black*Star had created. It was small, but truly, sunlight filtered through it. Soul found himself marveling at the natural light, something so mundane that he hadn't realized how much he missed it.

"Don't stare at it too long, because we have a problem," Cautioned Kid. Soul frowned slightly before flying up to his friend and asking what was the matter. "I misjudged the distance," Kid replied. "The Spear won't reach all the way to the wall."

Soul looked over at the Spear mechanism, and then at the track against the wall they were trying to bring down, and finally at the hammer in his hand. "Change of plans," He said. "You take the hammer up to that track over there. I'll fly up and rip off the point of the Spear, and then use it against the wall. He spoke as he handed the hammer to Kid, who nodded and rushed off.

As he flew across the room to the Spear, Soul glanced at Black*Star. His madness had seemed to have cleared up slightly since the incident yesterday, yet the blue-haired man seemed to be enjoying his rapid fire at wall a bit too much. Soul resolved to get him therapy as soon as they were out. In fact, they'd probably all need it.

Slicing the metal a little with the sharp edge of his feathers, Soul soon had the short shaft and spear-point broken off of the Spear so that the broken piece resembled a pike-like weapon. He flew to the wall, cutting into it with the pike, and more sunlight was rapidly being revealed as it seeped through the cracks in the thick wall.

"We're breaking through!" He called. "Don't stop!"

"If you value your life, you'll stop."

The three men whipped around to the source of that dreaded voice, and found Asura stepping into the room from the doors on the track. His constant mad grin was gone, to be replaced by a fierce glare and clenched teeth that could only be formed by pure hatred. He had drawn his handgun from his pocket and was pointing it at the rebels.

"I mean it," He growled. "Put down your weapons NOW. If you do as I say, you'll live. Disobey, and you die right where you stand."

Soul's gaze hardened, and suddenly he found himself shooting towards Asura with his pike extended in front of him. Instinct had taken over. Not expecting this, the older man had no time to react before Soul threw the gun out of his hand and into the Tub before landing beside him.

"Don't you dare even try to hurt my brothers," Soul snapped. Asura glared daggers at him, but then he charged towards Soul, who held his pike sideways to defend himself.

"Soul!" Shouted Black*Star, pointing his gun at Asura.

"Don't!" Soul yelled. "Just focus on bringing that wall down! I'll hold him off!"

Black*Star didn't want to, but he nodded and resumed helping Kid. Asura growled at Soul like an animal, but then noises sounded from below as the doors opened and the other works began walking onto the floor. Asura grinned, crazed. "The other workers," He chuckled, "They'll help me. You and your 'brothers'," He spat, "Shall be eliminated."

Looking down at the floor as well, Soul smirked. "Don't be too sure," He said. The other workers looked confused for a moment as they glanced around, from their coworkers breaking down the wall to the weaponless Asura. Suddenly, one of them jumped in the air.

"Revolt!" He cried. Asura froze as echoes of "Revolt!" began to echo across the room until the air was filled with the rebel shouts. Soul only grinned as the others rushed to the wall to aid in its destruction.

"No one likes it here, Asura," He said. "So we're taking our freedom back."

The dark-haired man whipped around to Soul, red eyes blazing in fury. He charged him again, trying to punch his jaw, but Soul easily dodged. Asura attempted to punch him again and again, but each time Soul avoided his attacks. However, he failed to forsee Asura's kick to the side of his knee, and he fell to the ground. As soon as he was low, stunned, and vulnerable, Asura kicked him in the chest. Now panting, Soul put his weight on the pike to try and get back to his feet, but Asura grabbed his weapon and threw it over the side of the track.

"I may not be able to have this factory any longer," He began to grin again, "But I can still have you!"

Without warning, sunlight streamed into the room as the wall finally caved. Wild cheers of joy came from the workers as the city of Pegasus lay sprawling before them.

"We did it, Soul!" Shouted Kid, "It's down! The wall's down!"

"YAHOO!" Whooped Black*Star.

Asura stared, mouth agape. Soul lifted himself up with the aid of the track's railing and stood.

"It's over, Asura," He murmured. "All that's left is to hand yourself over to the police." To Soul's surprise, Asura's only response was mad laughter. After losing his company, and with his arrest and likely death sentence imminent, the man was now entirely broken. And in Soul's shock he failed to see that the madman was going to grab his shoulders and shove him against the railing directly over the Tub until it was too late, but Soul managed to throw Asura around and reverse their positions just as the railing gave way.

Asura's eyes widened as he found he was standing on thin air. Thinking fast, his hands grabbed whatever they were closest to, that being Soul's wing.

Soul's boots had no traction on the metal platform. One pull from Asura was all it took, and he was falling. But with Asura's weight on one of his wings, flight was impossible as they plummeted downwards, towards the Tub.

Everything seemed as if it was going in slow-motion. Soul could see the Tub below him, growing ever closer. He knew there was no escaping this. "_I'm __going to die,_" He said to himself.

Oddly enough, Soul had no fear. Instead, he felt as if it was his time. Like he had accomplished all he needed to do.

"_Dad always said we were destined for greatness_," Soul thought with a smile as he closed his eyes. "_I think bringing down this factory was pretty great._" He turned to the figure beside him, who had a gentle smile across his features and was visible only to Soul. The red-eyed man smirked. "_Wouldn't you say so, Wes?_"

In the years that passed, Kid and Black*Star honored Soul's memory and insisted that he be called a hero, for he led the revolt that alerted the people to the terrible events that conspired in the Rainbow Factory. The government denied any involvement and the higher-ups of the factory were arrested. Because there was no more need for prisoners, the war over the East stopped soon after and a peace treaty was formed. The factory was entirely demolished and a park was put in its place.

Black*Star and Kid remained roommates, friends, and brothers. They were also the only two to notice that as Soul fell, his metal wings caught the sunlight, and a natural rainbow shone off of his feathers.

* * *

**This chapter's title is based off of Garfunkel's song "Bright Eyes" (which I don't own), which is basically a song about eyes fading in death. The reason I chose this name is not only for the many deaths throughout this entire miniseries, but is also for the change in Black*Star's eyes. And if you don't know Shaula, she's the witch from Soul Eater NOT!. Oh, and Tsubaki's attempted escape, Black*Star's reaction to her, and her final words are a tribute to the original My Little Pony "Rainbow Factory" fanfic (which I don't own either). Rate and review, guys ;) See ya next chap!**


	6. Promise Me Lies

**I think I promised a comedy story before, but then my demented mind thought this up… I sorry… *I disclaim; I don't own Soul Eater* Probably won't put an endnote in this chapter; I'm told it kills the mood ;) Just remember to favorite, review, follow, and everything else you awesome people do. (P.S: No description this chapter. Any description I give would spoil the whole thing.)**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 7: Promise Me Lies**

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I wish I had never made that promise.

I never thought I would have to use it, honestly. It seemed unreal, like something I'd certainly not have to resort to because it couldn't possibly happen. I couldn't have been more wrong. Horribly, painfully wrong.

It was soon after I first became partners with Patty and Liz that the pact was first established. They had loudly entered my room in Gallows mansion, although they did everything loudly those days, and interrupted me from my book. I glanced up at them passively.

"Kid, we need to talk," Began Liz, coming up to me as I reclined in my black leather armchair. "There's something Patty and I agreed on when we were on the streets, and if you're gonna be our meister, you need to agree to it too."

I turned my eyes away from them. "Can it wait?" I mumbled, "I am nearly done reading this novel." I was rather curt to the sisters back then. Or rather, we were curt to each other. We weren't on the best of terms yet, as I had only plucked them from the streets two weeks ago.

Liz glared at me. "No," She snapped, ripping the book from my hands and throwing it across the room. I frowned.

"You made me lose my place," I muttered.

The former thug leaned over, her glowering face inches from mine. "This is serious, rich brat. You don't listen to me and agree to what I'm about to say, me and Patty are catching the next plane back to NYC," She growled, almost animal-like.

My jaded expression didn't waver. "I think you meant to say, 'Patty and I'," I corrected Liz's grammar. She ignored me.

"When we were on the streets," She continued, "Me and Patty decided that if we were ever in a situation when one of us was suffering, like, _really _suffering," She paused, taking a deep breath as her expression became more solemn, "That the one who wasn't in pain would kill the other so they wouldn't have to feel that anymore."

I looked up at her once more, my attention piqued.

"We couldn't get medical attention or anything, so choosing death was a possibility if we ever got really hurt or sick." Liz turned to the ground while she continued. Patty may have been attentive, but her eyes were wandering about the whole room. "But it's only a last resort. Still, if you're going to take us into fights against demons or whatever, there's a chance that we could get really hurt and pushed to the point of dying. The promise to kill each other is that no one dies a slow death," She concluded.

I sighed, standing. "You want me to agree to kill you?" I asked as I walked over to my book and picked it up. I heard Liz sigh.

"That's the gist of it, yeah," She said.

I flipped through the book's pages, trying to find where I had stopped. "While it would upset me to kill one of my beautifully symmetrical weapons, leaving me with only one…" I could practically sense Liz rolling her eyes behind my back, "I suppose I can agree to that," I told her. I didn't feel much obligation to the sisters at that time, so I didn't realize how much gravity my statement carried. That is, until it was tested.

We had been partners for over a year then. In one terrible fight, I had accidentally dropped Liz. Seeing me immobilized by my aversion to fight with only one weapon, she rushed at the kishin herself. I didn't realize how much brute strength that girl had in her until I saw her knock the demon to the ground. I only began to move, however, when the kishin whipped around, digging its claws into Liz's side. Her scream split through my skull, jolting me back into reality. In deadly desperation, I gripped Patty in my single hand and fired rapidly. The asymmetrical atrocity of my act would've stunned me in any other situation, but this was different. My partner was in trouble.

The monster's body faded out of existence like ribbons blowing away in the wind. It left behind its soul, but I barely noticed as I rushed to Liz. Her whole body shook, blood pouring from her wound and staining anything it came in contact with a deep red.

"Kid," She groaned, her strength flowing from her side, "You might need… To keep your promise… Today," She said slowly. The words that escaped her lips were little more than a soft moan.

I stiffened. I had nearly forgotten of the pact I had made with her, but that promise had suddenly returned to haunt me.

"N-no," I stuttered, picking her up carefully. Despite my gentleness, my older partner inhaled sharply at the pain. "I won't do that to you. All we have to do is get you to a hospital, and they can help you," I told her, trying to sound as strong as I could. All this time, Patty said nothing. I understand what she must have been going through; when my father's life has been danger before my eyes, sickening dread clutches my stomach like a cold hand. It feels as if my world is ending. I hated to have Patty experience that, so we got Liz healed as soon as possible. As soon as her sister smiled, Patty smiled right back, and the crisis was averted. For the time being, at least.

One day, I felt as if asking for death myself.

Whatever that witch had hit me with, it had infected me. Her last burst of magic pulsed through my veins, causing me to collapse on the ground and writhe in pain the moment we killed her. I screamed as the dark energy began to control my body spastically, causing me to shoot myself in the abdomen, leg, arm, and barely miss my head. Liz and Patty transformed into their human forms as soon as they could release themselves from my grip.

"Kiddo!" Patty cried, trying to get close to me, but my flailing limps kept her from approaching me without getting hurt. I felt as if I was being stabbed all over my body, the pain was so unbearable. I just wanted it to end. I wanted to die. I wanted to yell at Liz to just shoot me with Patty and end it, but I couldn't control my own voice. All I could do was scream.

Liz looked over at me. Without warning, she swiftly grabbed me, picked me up, and held me to her. I struggled against her, but her voice was soothing.

"Shh. Calm down."

My fists swung around, hitting her in the jaw. She didn't even flinch. "It's all right," She continued. "I know it's the magic, but you've got to fight it. Try and relax."

Patty's gaze switched between my struggling form and her sister. "We don't have to… Use the promise, do we?" She asked softly. I had never heard Patty sound so scared.

Liz was silent for a minute, despite my hostile actions. Slowly, she smiled. "No, Patty," She told her, carrying me away. "We won't have to do that ever again, not with all our combined strengths. We'll fix him up, just like he'll fix us up, and we'll protect each other," She said calmly. "We'll never have to use that promise again."

I wish she had been right.

I wish I wasn't standing here, holding a single gun.

I wish that I hadn't let my guard down, allowing the kishin egg we had been fighting to snatch my other pistol.

I wish she hadn't transformed.

I wish it hadn't bit her with its giant jaws, filling her body with toxic venom that is still eating away at her flesh.

I wish she wasn't dying a slow, horrible death after her sister and I killed the monster in frantic fury.

I wish that it were me lying there instead of Patty.

I stand in a desolate landscape. Crimson-red blood lays splattered about the dry earth, as if the very ground were the canvas of a demented impressionist's painting. Patty lies in the center of it, whimpering, and occasionally crying out in her agony. She lies on her stomach in the dirt as a faint wind blows across her bright hair and stirs up dust. The stars shine down on us with cold light, peacefully twinkling over the grave picture beneath them. Everything is silent, aside from Liz's voice as it breaks into my thoughts.

"_Kid, she's suffering_," She says softly through our soul's link. Patty can't hear her, due to being out of her weapon form. I nod solemnly, but I can't stop the shaking that has begun in my hands. I don't want to do what I know she'll ask of me. I do not voice these objections, however, for I know what must be done. Now Liz whispers to me, "_You need to keep your promise._"

I can only nod again slowly as I gulp down my own horror at what I am about to do. The asymmetry of the situation doesn't bother me somehow. Perhaps it is acceptance. From this point on, Liz will need me more than ever. I would never abandon her, even if it was asymmetrical. I shall get over it. Right now, my focus is on Patty.

"Kiddo…" I hear the younger teen say, nearly inaudibly, "Big sis… It really hurts…"

I wince, pulling the regular bullets from my pocket. I keep them only for emergencies, and, I think ruefully, I believe this qualifies as an emergency.

"We know, Patty," I say softly, switching Liz's cartridge. "But I want you to do something for me, all right? I want you to…" I stop. My next words feel like a lump in my throat, refusing to come out. I force them; this is what needs to be done. "I want you to think of things that make you happy," I say, "Think of that, and don't think about the pain."

Patty is silent for a second. "Well…" She breathes, her face turned to the side as her lidded and tired eyes gaze at the ground. "I like… Stuffed animals, and real animals, like Giraffes... They make me happy."

I nod as I see the faintest hint of a smile grace Patty's pained and exhausted features. "Good, Patty," I say, raising Liz to point at the back of her head. I can't believe what I am about to do. "K-keep going," My voice breaks, faltering a little. Thankfully, Patty doesn't seem to notice.

"I also like pigs, and bacon… And pigs that turn into bacon," Patty continues, too lost in her own thoughts to notice as I load Liz and aim her carefully. "But… You and big sis make me happiest, Kiddo."

I freeze. My hands begin shaking even more violently than before as I lower Liz to my side.

"I like your s-smiles…" Murmurs Patty, "And how you tell me… That I'm a good girl, and I like the food you cook, and how you… Tell me goodnight." I can tell she's relaxing, but every word from her mouth is like a knife through my soul. "I like… Everything about you… Because you're you."

"_I…_" Words fail me as I struggle to communicate with Liz given how much both of our wavelengths are wavering. "_I can't do it._"

"_You have to!_" Liz shoots back. Her ferocity surprises me. "_Don't make her suffer any more!_"

I take a step back. "_Maybe we can save her,_" I reply weakly, "_I think we can, we just have to find a way to get rid of the venom…_"

Liz is silent for a moment. Finally, she sighs. "_Kid. I don't want to do this either._"

I become harsh. "_Do what, kill your own sister?_" I hiss. "_You don't want to even try to save her?!_"

I can feel Liz's anger rush at me through our soul's connection. "_We CAN'T, Kid!_" She yells. I flinch a little in shock, turning away from her weapon form back to her sister. Patty has stopped talking, and has resumed crying out in pain while clutching her left side and the large bite mark that has torn away practically half of her torso. It's common sense that no one can survive like that. Liz and I stand still, watching her, until my elder partner breaks the silence once more.

"_… Besides,_" She adds, "_We're not killing her. The kishin killed her. We're helping her not to hurt anymore._"

I look down at Liz. Her sorrowful reflection has appeared on the barrel of her weapon form, allowing me to see the tears forming at the edges of her eyes.

"_She's dying, Kid. I want the pain to stop._"

I stand there for another minute, but then I sigh. I nod slowly to her before I walk over to Patty, kneeling down next to her head. "Patty," I utter softly. "Patty, look up at me."

The blonde's head turns slowly, and I see the pain etched on her face. She pants, shaking. "Can you make me better, Kid?" She says through teeth clenched in agony.

I try to keep my own eyes from watering as I look down at her. The former brightness in her childish blue eyes is fading slowly, and the smile that always adorned her lips is entirely gone. This isn't the Patty I knew, I realize. I want the old Patty back. But I understand that I can never have that again, so I suppress the desire.

"Patty," I say again, slowly, "I'm going to…"

"_Stop it right there!_" Shouts Liz into my head. "_You can't tell her what you're going to do!_"

Patty frowns. "What is it, Kiddo?" She says, trying to force one of her joyful grins. It doesn't work; she's obviously still in pain.

"_But it's the honest thing to do,_" I tell Liz. "_What do you want me to do? Lie?_"

I can feel Liz fighting back her own sorrow. "_I… I want her to be happy, Kid. I don't want you to tell her that you're going to…_" I notice her hesitation, "… _End her. I want you to give her hope._"

"_Hope?!_" I snap, my anger rising. I'm not angry at Liz, really. At this moment, life itself and the cruel fate that is taking my partner away infuriate me, and my rage has found a target. "_There's no hope for her! You said it yourself; she's DYING! Her soul is fading, but slowly. She's dying at an excruciatingly slow rate and her every thought is overshadowed by the unbearable pain she's suffering from. There's no hope, Liz. Her life ends here._"

Liz is shaking now. "_I know, Kid,_" She utters. The sound barely reaches me, it's so shy and timid. "_But she needs to be happy in her last moments. You may have to lie to do that._" She stops, silent. "_Could you… Promise me that you'll lie to her? That she'll die happy?_"

I see tears dotting Patty's face now, but they aren't her own. I failed to hold mine back.

"Why are you crying?" Patty rasps, but is stopped from talking as she coughs up blood. I avert my eyes from her face, unable to take it anymore. I couldn't handle her sad expression, her once cheerful features twisted in agony.

"Patty," I utter once more, "We're… Going to go home now, all right?" I tell her, trying my best to smile. She relaxes a little bit.

"Really?" She asks, prompting me to nod.

"Y-yes," I tell her, going from kneeling to a sitting position as I place her head sideways in my lap. I turn her head away from me, not wanting to watch the life fade from her eyes. My fingers run through her soft hair, calming her like I had seen Liz do so many times when the younger sister suffered nightmares from their days on the streets. "We're going to go back to our mansion. We'll have a big supper, and then…"

"Can we have bacon?" Patty cuts me off. I smile through the tears.

"Yes, Patty," I say, "You can have all the bacon you want. Then we'll all get into our favorite pajamas, and we'll all sit on the couch and watch your favorite movie," I comfort her. As I do so, however, I slowly position Liz to point at her head.

Patty's tension eases gradually, and I can tell that she's forgetting about her pain at the prospect of going home. "Can we marathon all the… Jurassic Park movies?" Her sentences are still broken up, but I can hear the anticipation in her words. It hurts me that she's putting faith in lies, but I have to do this for her.

"Of course," I reply. "And once the movies are over, Liz and I will tuck you in your nice, warm bed, and we'll say…" My voice breaks. Must I really do this? I look down at Liz and see her reflection nod grimly. It's what must be done. I take a deep breath. Slowly, I resume where I left off. "We'll say… Goodnight, Patty." It is then that I shoot.

My hands drip red with the blood of the promises that I kept tonight.


	7. Making Christmas

**Sorry for that last depressing little ficlet. To make it up for everyone, I've been prompted by multiple people to make this, so I've decided to be nice and write something happy :) For those who have read **_**Define "Normal"**_**, this fic'll be set in that same world, but after the second-to-last and before the events of the last chapter for the sake of the storyline. It's not important at all to read it before you read this (although I'd recommend it; it was a lot of fun to write), just know that it's set after the end of the anime and Crona lives with Soul, Maka, and Blair. Anyway, *I disclaim* I don't own Soul Eater. Or the Nightmare Before Christmas, which is referenced a lot in this fic.**

**Of Monsters and Demons, Chapter 8**

**Making Christmas**

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Description: Christmas Special! Crona's never celebrated Christmas before, so his first Christmas party at Gallows Manor is a bit overwhelming. Especially when Patty convinces him that there's a Sandy Claws... Meanwhile, cookies are baked, eaten, Kid's throwing fits, and Black*Star is acting like Black*Star. Merry Christmas!

* * *

Holidays typically weren't celebrated during Crona's childhood. That is, all except for Halloween, which Medusa had practically worshipped. Despite this, Crona had never been allowed to go trick-or-treating, but instead was forced to stay inside and be his mother's acolyte for her bizarre All Hallow's Eve rituals. As such, the word "holiday" came to be understood by Crona as "the day that Lady Medusa doesn't train me and just sits in the floor making weird markings and mumbling." Because of this, when stores became decorated in red and green and songs involving jingle bells were played on the radio, the poor boy was terribly confused.

"Maka?" Crona said quietly, coming in the apartment door after completing an errand. The blonde looked up from the couch where she was reading her book.

"What is it, Crona?" She asked with a smile.

Crona scratched his hair a little as he set his shopping bag down on the table. "Well… I don't really know what it is, really. That's what I don't know how to deal with…" He trailed off.

Maka looked confused for a moment, but then smiled again and stood from her place on the couch. "Do you want to try and describe it? Maybe I can help you figure out what happened."

The pink-haired meister nodded, sitting down at the table. When Maka sat down next to him, he began to retell his experience. "Well… I went to the store, like you asked me to, to get some eggs. But I went in and there were all sorts of weird colors everywhere, and the music was different than what it normally is, and when I checked out, the cashier didn't say 'thanks for shopping with us' like she always does. She told me 'Merry Christmas' instead. Has the entire world changed? Will it be like this forever?"

To his surprise, Maka laughed. "It'll go back to normal soon, Crona," She assured him. "Right after December. But it's the holidays now."

Crona paled. "H-holidays?" He stuttered. Halloween hadn't come again already, had it? The decorations were different. He had already spent one Halloween with Maka and Soul, and that had been an extremely new experience. It had taken everyone half the day to convince Crona that he didn't need to burn incense. Even so, upon hearing Maka's explanation, Crona stood from his chair. "I'll go buy the candles…" He mumbled.

Maka jumped from her seat. "No, Crona! Not that holiday! We don't even do that!"

Soul stepped from the hallway. "What's all the yelling?" He asked, looking over the scene.

The blonde whipped around to her weapon partner. "Explain Christmas to Crona!" She demanded while grabbing the tall meister's shirt to keep him from walking out the door.

Soul stood there, looking dumbfounded. "Uh…" Upon a threatening glare from Maka, he blinked. "Presents! Uh… Trees! Cookies! Tacky music!"

Crona turned to face them. "No candles?" He asked.

Soul tilted his head. "For decoration, yeah..."

"And peace on Earth!" Maka interrupted her partner, "And goodwill towards men!"

Crona smiled a little. "That sounds nice," He said.

Maka nodded with a relaxed sigh, glad that she had finally convinced Crona to not add a witch's touch to Christmas. "_That went much quicker and easier than Halloween…_"

Soul plopped down on the couch. "So Crona didn't know what Christmas is?" He asked, picking up the TV remote. "Has he not noticed that we've been talking about going to Kid's Christmas party for the past few weeks?"

Crona looked at his feet again. "Well… I didn't know I was invited," He confessed.

Maka smiled at him. "We're all invited, Crona!" She told him cheerfully. Soul took a sideways glance at the clock, and then sighed.

"We're supposed to be at Kid's in a half hour, by the way," He pointed out nonchalantly. Maka visibly stiffened.

"We're gonna be late!" She exclaimed, her calmness and cheerfulness gone in an instant. "Soul, get out of your pajamas and put something festive on! I need to get the baking supplies together to make cookies with the girls, and Crona…" She stopped, looking at the timid meister. She took a deep breath and forced a smile as she swiftly grabbed something from a bookshelf. "Read this. I'll explain a bit of Christmas," She told him. She then rushed off, pulling together everything else she needed.

Crona glanced down at the book he had been handed. "_The Night before Christmas_?" He read the title out loud.

* * *

Crona didn't get the chance to read Maka's book before they had to start walking to Gallows Mansion. Maka told Soul that they couldn't take his motorcycle because she had to carry all her ingredients for cookies, and they couldn't fit them on the bike. Not to mention that the idea of riding that thing terrified Crona. As a result, the group arrived about fifteen minutes late.

"If there's one thing that bothers me more than Blair in Soul's face," Maka muttered to herself, "It's being late."

Soul huffed. "It's your own fault," He said as they ascended the stairs to the mansion. "You said we couldn't take my bike. I could've fit you, your cookie stuff, and Crona all on there, easy."

Maka shot him a small glare. "Soul," She snapped, "There was no way we would've all been able to fit on there safely."

Soul shrugged. "Yeah, we all could've fit. I didn't say safely."

The blonde rolled her eyes at her partner before knocking on the door. Liz answered it shortly, smiling. "Hi guys! We were afraid you weren't coming!" She said brightly. "Something happen?"

Maka shook her head, adopting a smile. "Nothing major. Has Kid started the tree fit yet?"

Liz laughed, closing the door behind the guests after they walked in. "Yep. Patty's decorating it right now."

Crona turned to Soul. "I have no idea what they're talking about," He said.

The white-haired scythe smirked. "Kid throws a fit over the Christmas tree every year, saying that either the branches or the decorations aren't symmetrical," He chuckled. Noticing that the pink-haired meister still looked confused, Soul's chuckling died down. He rolled his eyes. "People decorate pine trees for Christmas. Don't ask me why, they just do. It's a thing."

Crona still didn't quite understand, but nodded anyway.

The tree between the main hall's staircases was gigantic. Patty had climbed the stairs and stood on the balcony to place ornaments near the top of the immense evergreen.

"No, no, no! It's all wrong!" Kid cried, on his knees in the floor. "You're not putting them up like the blueprint, Patty!"

The younger teen shrugged. "So? I'm making it look all pretty!" She giggled, putting the uniform black and white ornaments up haphazardly. "Joy to the world, the Lord has gum!" She sang off-key.

"You know those aren't the correct lyrics!" Kid wailed before be collapsed on the floor, sobbing into the tile. Crona stared at him, feeling bad that the young Reaper had to go through this apparent trauma annually. He turned around, looking at what else was going on.

The older girls were running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room next door, setting platters of cookies and pies on a table that had been set up in there. Soul and Black*Star sipped party punch while the blue-haired narcissist could be heard loudly saying what he wanted for Christmas. Crona stepped into the living room, still carrying Maka's book. He sat down on a couch, finally getting the chance to open the front cover.

"Whatcha' readin'?"

Crona jumped, whipping around to see Patty leaning over the back of the couch next to him. "When d-did you get here?!"

"Ooh, _The Night Before Christmas_!" Patty exclaimed, ignoring Crona as she pointed at the title page. "That's a fun book! There's reindeer! Neigh!"

Crona's eye twitched. "I'm not sure if that's the sound deer make…"

"And it talks about Santa Claus!" Patty continued. "But I know an even more fun story about Santa Claus! Wanna hear it?"

"Uh…"

"Sure you do!" Patty beamed, taking Crona's book and tossing it behind her. This caused various people to yell out various things.

"OW!"

"Soul!"

"My book!"

"Pumpkin pie!"

Looking behind Patty, Crona noticed that the book seemed to have hit Soul in the back of the head, causing him fall face-first into Tsubaki's pie, which Black*Star loudly pointed out. Crona's attention was drawn back to Patty when she plopped down next to him on the couch.

"See, this one movie I saw said that Santa Claus is actually a big red lobster man with sandy claws!" The blonde began. Crona instantly cringed.

"S-sandy claws?" He gulped.

Patty nodded, now looking slightly serious. "Yeah, and he sees you when you're sleeping and knows if you've been bad or good! So you better be good for goodness' sake!"

Crona hugged a couch pillow to his chest, shaking. "There's a lobster that watches me when I sleep?" He whimpered. "W-what does he d-do if you're bad?"

Patty leaned forward, her blue eyes boring right into Crona's grey ones. "He comes down your chimney on Christmas Eve. An' if you're bad, he snaps at you with his lobster claws!" She reared up, snapping her fingers like claws. "Snap, snap!"

Crona grew pale. He glanced over at the chimney, now seeing a potential doorway for a savage lobster. "I'm glad Maka and Soul don't have a chimney…"

Patty grinned. "Oh, Sandy Claws has his ways!" She promised, skipping away. Crona froze.

"… I'm doomed…" He whimpered. "I don't know how to deal with lobsters…"

Kid had stepped away from the tree for a while to relax a little bit.

"These are excellent cookies, Maka," He said, tasting her gingerbread.

"Try my snickerdoodles, Kid!" Liz exclaimed, shoving the platter in his face. "Before Soul eats all of them."

Tsubaki smiled, arranging her plate of sugar cookies so that they were set up like a Christmas tree. "I like how mine turned out," She said. "You can try them if you want."

Soul drooled. "So many cookies…" He stared at the pastries until Maka swatted his hand away.

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating," She muttered. "Besides, we'll take a box home with all three kinds. They're supposed to last until Christmas, anyway."

Soul rolled his eyes, pulling away. "Fine."

Tsubaki glanced around. "Has anyone seen Black*Star?" She asked. Patty, standing in the doorway that connected the hall and the living room, nodded.

"Yep!" The blonde pistol said, pointing into the hall. "I see him!"

Tsubaki sighed with relief. "That's good. Could you keep an eye on him for me?"

Patty nodded again. "Okie dokie. Is he allowed to climb trees?"

"Uh-huh," Tsubaki replied absentmindedly, still arranging the cookies. Maka glanced out the doorway, seeing what Patty meant. She cringed.

"Uh, Tsubaki?" She said, turning to her friend. "Black*Star's climbing the Christmas tree."

Tsubaki froze, her eyes widening. She took off, swiftly running into the hall. "Black*Star, get down from there!" She shouted.

"But I belong at the top!" Black*Star yelled joyously. "Because I'm the star! HAHA!"

Kid stiffened. "He'll break and bend the branches!" He wailed. "My perfect symmetrical pruning will be ruined!"

Soul snuck another cookie. "This is a normal Christmas," He said to Crona, who had joined him next to the table. Noticing that the pink-haired meister looked confused again, Soul rolled his eyes once more.

"_Christmas seems chaotic_," Crona thought to himself.

* * *

"Crona, come over and eat some cookies with us!" Maka called. She and everyone but her pink-haired friend were seated on the couches, enjoying some more cookies and punch. "What are you doing with Ragnarok?"

Crona stood poised beside the fireplace, his sword raised. "I'm waiting for Sandy Claws," He announced. "And I'm going to keep that lobster from hurting me."

All eyes turned to Patty. Noticing their glares, Patty tilted her head innocently.

"Why is everybody looking at me?"

Liz sighed. "Crona, he's not going to come tonight. Besides, Santa isn't a lobster. He's a smiling fat man who lives with elves and brings little kids presents," She explained.

Soul raised an eyebrow. "You say it that way and it sounds even creepier than a giant lobster," He pointed out.

Crona lowered his sword. "But he sees me when I'm sleeping!"

"And he knows when you're awake!" Patty sung, but Kid glared at her.

"Patty, you're really not helping the situation," He muttered.

The blonde pouted. "But I like singing Christmas songs…"

"Santa just watches to make sure kids have been good, Crona," Tsubaki told him. "If they've been bad, they get less presents, or if they're really bad, then they don't get presents from Santa at all."

Crona hung his head. "But I've been really bad my whole life…" He murmured, walking to sit next to everyone. Ragnarok transformed back into his humanoid appearance on Crona's back as he did so.

Maka smiled. "But you've been really good recently, Crona," She said. "That should be enough. I promise you'll get presents from Santa this year."

Crona looked up at her. "You promise he's not a lobster?" He asked quietly.

Maka nodded. "I promise that too."

The pink-haired meister smiled.

"Forget the sappy Santa stuff!" Ragnarok shouted suddenly. "Feed me some of those cookies!" His host obliged, handing the sword one of each cookie while trying some himself.

"These are good," Crona smiled a little.

Tsubaki smiled back. "Thanks. We make Christmas cookies every year. It's a fun tradition."

Patty nodded. "Yeah, Christmas is all about fun! It has parties and pies and presents and people and all sorts of other fun stuff that starts with P!" She grinned.

Soul sneezed, sniffing. "Like pneumonia," He replied.

Crona ate some more cookies, looking around at the festive decorations. "Well, if you promise that Santa isn't a lobster…" He said after a minute, "Then… I guess I like Christmas. At least the cookies are good, and the tree's really pretty."

"It's even better once it's decorated," Liz said, elbowing Kid in the chest. "It takes Kid nearly all December to get the measurements right or whatever and put up the ornaments symmetrically. As soon as he's done that, Christmas will be over."

Patty looked pensive. "Hey, Kid? Why is Olive so mean?"

Kid, rubbing his now sore ribcage, glanced over at Patty. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Because Olive the other reindeer used to laugh and call Rudolph names," The blonde pistol replied matter-of-factly.

"There's mean reindeer?" Crona said quietly.

Kid rolled his eyes. "Patty, get your lyrics straight. Crona just began to like Christmas, don't convince him otherwise," He told her.

Patty giggled, seeing Crona's concerned expression. "Aw, don't worry, Crona! Like we said, Christmas is fun! And after that there's New Year's, where the big ball drops on people!"

Crona stiffened. "It drops on people?"

"Not exactly," Maka interjected.

"And then there's Valentine's day, and Cupid'll shoot ya with his arrows!"

"Arrows?!"

"Patty, stop it," Kid demanded. The blonde paid him no mind.

"Easter is fun! There's a giant rabbit that lays eggs!"

"Rabbits hate me!"

"STOP IT, PATTY!" Everyone shouted.

Sighing, Maka pulled the book she had previously handed to Crona off of the side table. "Here. You haven't read this yet, have you?" She smiled when Crona shook his head, and she gave him the book once more. "Why don't you read it now? It'll distract you from Patty," She winked.

Crona smiled once more, nodding and opening the brightly-colored picture book. "T'was the night before Christmas…" He began reading quietly to himself.

* * *

**Merry Christmas, mortals! See ya next time!**


	8. Lost and Found

**I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm bored. I'm writing. I'd usually be in art class right now, but I'm not, so I'm BORED, so have a Death Note AU. After all, everyone loves to write in the Death Note when they're bored. Or is that just me… (I don't own Death Note or Soul Eater, guys.)**

**Of Monsters and Demons, Chapter 9**

**Lost and Found**

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Description:

Death Note AU. Crona doesn't know what happened. All the teen did was pick up a weird notebook in the park and started using it as a Diary. Suddenly a Shinigami shows up, claiming he's garbage. It takes Crona a little while to realize that life just got a whole lot more interesting... And dangerous. (Crona's POV)

* * *

I don't know what happened. Everything had started out so normally today, but suddenly there's a young man standing in my bedroom, glaring at the notebook on my desk. I don't know how to deal with that.

"Did you write in that?" He snaps at me. His golden gaze turns to meet mine, and I quickly avert my eyes. His irises emanate intensity.

I evaluate his appearance. He isn't exceptionally tall; just average height, I suppose. I was taller than him, of course. I'm the tallest eleventh-grader in my entire school. He wears a black suit with three white stripes on either side of the dress shirt, and a white… Well, I don't really know what to call it. It's a… A tie, I guess? Straight lines run diagonally down his lips to his chin. Avoiding his eyes, I notice his hair. It's as black as his suit, but instead of having three white lines on both sides, he only has white stripes on the right of his hair. It's odd-looking, but I don't point it out. Finally mustering up the courage, I look down from his hair ever so slightly, staring into his eyes once more. I flinch, stepping back a little when I realize that he's staring right back, but I don't turn away this time. It's almost as if his eyes are staring into my very soul. We hold our gazes for another minute that seems to stretch on for what seems like an eternity, but the connection is abruptly broken when he blinks and turns back to the book on the table.

"Crona Gorgon," He says. I stiffen, dumbstruck.

"H-how did you…" I begin my first words since meeting this boy, but he cuts me off before I finish.

"I'll ask you again. Did you write in that notebook?" He inquires. His voice seems a bit softer now, but I wouldn't call it kind. I nod in response, which is met with a groan of aggravation from the boy. "Stupid, stupid! Stupid me for losing the stupid book that stupid you picked up and stupidly began writing in!" He yelled, his softness gone as he kicked over my trashcan. Tissues, filled-up sticky notes, and a pair of ratty socks spill out.

The strange boy stares at the overturned can, but then, to my surprise, begins putting all the trash back. I watch him confusedly. I'm all the more confused when he kneels down, leans over, and shoves his head in the can. "I'm worthless garbage; leave me to die," He moans pathetically.

I tilt my head. Where did his ferocity go? I walk over to him cautiously, slowly placing a hand on his shoulder. He doesn't move.

"Um," I say quietly, "Are… You okay? Mister… Uh…"

"Kid."

His word surprises me. Was he addressing me, or was he giving his name? "Is that your name?" I ask, feeling like a fool. If that wasn't his name, and he was talking to me, then I would seem idiotic. Much to my relief, he sits up and nods, dislodging a stray sticky note that had gotten stuck to his hair.

"Yes, that's my name," He sighs. "I had a different name once, but the others made fun of the fact that I resembled a human child, and began calling me Kid. It's been so long since anyone used my real name that if I say it now, no one will know who I'm talking about. Even I'm starting to forget it," He murmured.

I paled as he spoke. "Who are the others?" I ask, getting scared. He had said that he _resembled _a human. Did that mean he wasn't one?

He turns around to look up at me. "The other Shinigami," He says plainly, "Death gods."

My eyes widen. I step back, watching Kid's every move. "So you're… A death god?" I whimper, growing scared. He nods again, not getting up from his position on the floor. In fact, he seems comfortable there, as he's crossed his legs and is now sitting in a perfect lotus position. My knees begin shaking, and I grab my desk for support. "So… You've… Come to take my soul?" I squeak out. Kid's gaze never wavers.

"No," He deadpans. "That's a myth. Shinigami don't exist to appear to dying people; in fact, we prefer to stay in our own realm," He tells me. I relax, but only slightly. There's still a death god in my bedroom.

"Then… Why are you here?" My speech is still slow, but I manage to ask another question. His gaze turns towards his lap.

"Because you found my book," He says, "And wrote in it. I'm bound to you now, until the day one of us dies."

I cringe. "That's pleasant," I mumble.

The Shinigami says nothing. He appears to be studying me. Neither of us can take our eyes off of the other.

I speak up after a little while of this. "Um… So, how did you know my name?" I attempt conversation.

Kid smirks a little at this. "It's my eyes," He said, bringing a hand up to point at his golden irises. "The eyes of death gods can see the name of any person they look at. It's always floating above their heads. In addition, I can see the future date of your death alongside your name."

I stiffen again. "M-my death?" I stutter. I reach for the desk chair behind me, grabbing it blindly and sitting down in it as I maintain what seems to have become a virtual staring contest between me and the Shinigami.

Kid nods once more. "Yes. I won't tell you the date, though," He adds quickly. "It's never a good idea to tell a human their death date. They start panicking and trying to change it. That never works," He shakes his head. "Anyway," He changes the subject quickly, as if he wants me to forget asking him about my death date. "On to a more important subject. That little book," He says as he points at the notebook on my desk, "Could make things very bad for you. I need to know exactly how you got it so this mistake will not happen again."

I start wringing my hands, knowing from the look in his eyes that I had done something terribly wrong. "Well…" I begin slowly, "I found it. It was under a bench in the park. That's all," I say.

Kid suddenly looks dejected. "I must have dropped it when I came to get that other Shinigami's pen… Stupid Gukku dropped it through the portal… But I was the one who went and lost their notebook…" He groans. Without warning, he collapses on the floor, his knees bent and his face turned downward as he pounds the carpet with his fist. "I'm so unobservant! So careless! A Shinigami like me is worthless; I should just curl up and die! No one would care!" He wailed.

I watch him in his pathetic state. I don't know how to comfort him or what to say, but then I remember something urgent. "Kid! Kid, get up!" I tell him, now whispering loudly. "My mother's home; she'll hear you! I don't know what she'll do if she finds out there's a Shinigami in my room!"

Kid pauses his sobbing and sniffs, looking up at me. "Only you can see and hear me," He blubbered, trying to get over his fit, "Because you touched my book." He sits up, wiping his nose. "Now, there is a very important question you must answer," He says, looking me in the eyes once more. His tantrum was gone as quickly as it had come. "Did you write anyone's name in that book?"

I think for a moment, but then I nod. "Yeah, I was using it as a diary. One of my friends told me that it'd be good to keep one," I answer.

Kid's eyes narrow. "Did you write this friend's name in that book?" He asks, to which I shake my head.

"No," I say, "I had only just started writing when I saw you and got scared. The only name I had time to write was my mother's."

The Shinigami frowns, standing once more. "Did you write her full name? Were you thinking of her face when you wrote it?"

I try to think up the answers to his questions. They seemed so insignificant and trivial, and I hadn't thought it important to remember what I had written. "I… Don't think so," I reply, pulling the notebook off of the desk. I open it to the first page, looking over what I wrote before showing Kid.

_Dear Diary,_

_ I'm not really sure what to write in here, because I don't think anyone will read this, but I'll start at the beginning. My name is Crona. Right now, I live with my mother, Medusa Gorgon._

Kid reads over my words quickly.

"It cuts off suddenly because that's when you showed up," I explain. "To answer your other question, I guess I was thinking of her face when I wrote her name. It's kinda hard not to…"

Kid turns to glare at me, and I can feel in his gaze that he thinks I'm a naïve fool, but I can't understand why. All I did was write in a notebook. I find myself shying back under his gaze. He sighs, his glare softening slightly.

"I suppose it can't be helped," He mutters. "There's no reversing it, anyway. Was your mother, this Medusa, home when you wrote her name?"

I nod. "She works second shift. She's usually up when I get home from school, getting ready to leave for work. I started writing in the notebook as soon as I got home," I tell him in detail, hoping he won't ask any more questions.

The Shinigami glances at me, looking me over once more. He turns away, clicking his tongue passively. "You're obviously too fragile a human to endure the strain of what you've gotten yourself into, but there's no helping it. You're stuck now," He speaks jadedly.

I stand, walking over to him. His words intimidate me. "Stuck in what? What happened when I found that notebook?" I ask, beginning to panic. Kid turns his gaze to my bedroom door.

"It wasn't in finding it that you went wrong. Your fate was sealed when you _wrote _in it," He says simply. "Go look for your mother," He adds, as if that will answer all my questions.

I frown. "Why would I do that? I try to avoid her; we hate each other," I murmur.

Kid merely shrugs. "That will make this a bit easier, then. Just go find her," He says. It sounds like he's commanding me now, so I oblige and open my bedroom door.

"Mom?" I call out the door. There's no response. I'm not really surprised; she doesn't like to listen to me. Still, a death god told me to find her, and I don't want to know what would happen if I disobeyed him.

I walk out of my door and search around our simple one-story house. "Mom?" I call again, and again she doesn't reply. I don't see her in the kitchen, so I stride into the living room. Immediately I freeze.

Medusa lays sprawled out on the rug in front of me. One of her hands clutches the skin over her heart, and her face is twisted in agony. Her sightless eyes stare up at the ceiling. She's dead.

I gasp, holding my hand over my mouth. I feel as if I'm about to throw up. I whip around and race back to my room, breathing heavily. "W-what happened?" I whisper to Kid, who hasn't moved. My wide eyes stare at the floor, though, so all I can see are his shoes.

"You killed her," Kid states. "Using the Death Note."

My eyes move to stare at the book on the desk. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. "H-how?" I squeak out.

Kid picks up the notebook, flipping through its pages. "A Shinigami uses their notebook to expand their lifetime. It kills any human whose full and proper name is written within its pages, striking them down with a heart attack unless otherwise stated," He explains to me. "If you use it, your lifetime won't expand. That date above your head won't change," He says. "But since you've touched it and wrote in it, you are now the Death Note's official owner."

I shake. "I… Killed my mother?" I repeat. Kid rolls his eyes.

"You seem to be slow on the uptake. Yes, you killed her. You now have the power to kill anyone in any way you wish, granted that it's within possibility," The Shinigami tells me. "And as I am the original owner of your Death Note, I'm bound to you until one of us dies, or you relinquish ownership of the Death Note," He says, handing me the notebook. The look in his eyes tells me he's bored. "Go ahead, say you give it up. Just give me my Death Note back and you'll be rid of this whole mess. I'll take it back to my realm, attempt to hide my eternal shame, and you'll even forget this ever happened," He sighs.

I look down at the notebook in my hands silently. Kid taps his foot.

"Hurry up; I want this over with as soon as possible."

I look back up at him, my grey eyes blank. "This book has the power to kill anyone I wish?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes, and that's too much for your feeble little mind to handle; I get that. So just give it back."

I glance down at the book once more, examining its front cover. It's entirely black; blank and devoid of text. "But…" I say slowly, "I don't want to give it back."

Kid stares at me. "What?"

"I said I want to keep it," I repeat. "I hated my mother. I don't really miss her," I tell him. He crosses his arms as he watches me. "With this book, I have the power to get rid of other people I hate. I can make the world a better place," I say, smiling a little.

Kid doesn't say anything for a minute, but then quietly remarks, "Your eyes have changed."

I tilt my head to the side. "What do you mean?" I ask. He looks me in the eye again, but quickly turns away once more.

"There's a shred of madness," He says quietly, but then shakes his head. "Forget about it. If you're going to keep that Death Note, it's your choice. Like I said, there's no going back. Even if you did give it back to me, you'd still be a suspect in your mother's murder," He says, sitting down in my desk chair as I place the notebook on my bed. I smile at it, knowing that that little book will help me create a better world, one where I can live without fear. I can be free of people I don't know how to deal with. I find myself smirking.

"Well," Kid says, seemingly trying to get my attention away from the Death Note, "If I'm going to be staying with you, then we'll need to redecorate your room," He mutters. "The asymmetry of it disgusts me."

* * *

**I think I'm getting better at writing in present tense.**

**I think I could maybe make a sequel for this. Review if you want one; I have a few ideas that I could work into another drabble. Let me know what you think ;) See ya next chapter, everyone!**


	9. Customer Rewards

**I've had this idea for over a year, but originally I had planned to ship Crona with an OC. I didn't really like that concept, so after this long, I finally figured out what I should do with the idea. *I disclaim; I don't own Soul eater, just this AU***

**Of Monsters and Demons, Chapter 10**

**Customer Rewards**

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Description: Reality AU. Crona has a comfortable job as a cashier at a grocery store, despite having to bring her little brother Ragnarok to work sometimes. But when Crona gets a crush on a regular customer, a misunderstanding could crush the fragile teen. KidXCrona (Kirona) Fluff Eater.

* * *

Crona's hands shook. Her heart pounded, causing her to feel as if there was a stampede within her chest. Leaning over her counter, she could see him picking out potato chips, wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks. He came there every Saturday, promptly at three in the afternoon, buying enough food to feed an army for a week. It took ages to scan all of it, but it was worth it. It meant Crona could cast fleeting glances while trying to focus. It didn't sound ideal, but the shy teen didn't know how to do much else.

Except, today was different. Today, Crona had mustered up enough courage to do the most daring thing in her life, aside from taking her current job as a cashier. In Crona's hand, she held a small sticky note she had taken from her desk at home. Her cell phone number was written down on it, and she was prepared at give it to the boy whose name she didn't even know. Despite having finally made the decision to do so, Crona's nervousness was making her sweat.

"_Why did I decide to do this?!_" She thought frantically. "_I don't even know his name! He just comes here every week!_" She looked down at the note in her hands. "_I could just shove it in my pocket and forget about it… No! I'm already this far!_"

"You're sweating, wimp."

Crona whipped around, looking down at her younger brother. "_And why does HE have to be here?! He just makes everything harder!_"

Ragnarok crossed his arms, glaring up at her. "I know you have a crush on him! I'm pretty sure the entire city does! I wouldn't be surprised if he knows!"

Crona knelt down, her eyes wide. "Quieter! We're lucky that my boss lets you come when Mom's working, so you can't get us both in trouble by yelling!" She whispered loudly. Ragnarok merely smirked.

"Pay me to be quiet."

His older sister tried to look stern, but failed. "No. I shouldn't have to pay you to act like a normal human being."

Ragnarok grinned. Suddenly he opened his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs, "NO ONE COME TO THIS REGISTER! THE CASHIER'S A NUT JOB!"

Crona squeaked, throwing a hand over his mouth. "Quiet!" She exclaimed. She stood up, leaning over the counter to grab a Hershey's bar. She scanned it quickly, handing it to her brother. "There! Take it and go look at the books!"

The black-haired boy nodded. "Knew you'd give in," He giggled, trotting off to the nearby rack full of books and tabloids. Crona sighed in relief, pulling cash from her pocket and sticking it in the register to pay for the candy bar.

"Excuse me, is this lane open?"

Crona startled at that voice, slamming the drawer shut and jerking upright. "Y-yeah," She squeaked out, "I'm open." It was him.

The teen on the other side of the counter watched her, his passive expression unchanging. "I wondered," He stated, putting his items on the conveyor belt. "That little boy was saying that you were closed, but I didn't really believe him."

Crona scanned his groceries methodically, thinking more of the boy's captivating golden eyes which she refused to meet than of his items. "Sorry. He's my brother," She explained. "Mom makes me take him to work when she doesn't want to watch him, but I don't really know how to deal with him." She paused for a second, but then resumed her work. "Hey, um, I was wondering... If it's okay for me to ask, why do you keep coming to my lane and not anyone else's?" She asked nervously. "_Is it because he likes me? Like I like him?_" Her heart sped up again.

The customer glanced up at her lane number. "Because you're lane eight," He deadpanned.

Crona's face fell. "… Oh…" She said quietly, placing his groceries in the plastic bags.

The customer handed her his credit card after all his items were registered. Gulping down her anticipation, she pulled her note from her pocket and handed it back to him with his card. "_Now or never,_" She thought to herself. "Uh… C-call me?" She said nervously. "O-or text me, i-if you w-want…" Stuttered the pink-haired teen.

The customer raised an eyebrow, showing a facial expression for the first time Crona could remember. He looked at the note briefly, but then he spoke.

"Sorry, but no."

Crona's head, formerly turned towards her shoes, shot up. She stared into his eyes, her own wide. "W-what?"

The raven-haired teen promptly handed the note back. "I said no. Now, if you'll excuse me, my father's expecting me home with his tea." With that, he promptly set his bags in his cart and rolled it out the automatic doors before Crona had the chance to blink.

Crona was so shocked, her heart didn't shatter for a couple seconds.

The pink-haired teen whimpered, staring after her heartbreaker. Ragnarok came up behind her, snickering.

"You got rejected," He taunted deviously, crunching his candy bar. Crona didn't even glance at him before she promptly slammed her head into the register in devastation. Multiple times.

After a little while and a lot of pain later, Crona looked up at whatever her actions had typed. The cost of $35.07 was displayed on the small screen attached to the register. Tilting her head to the side, Crona frowned.

"It says 'lose'," She mumbled.

"You okay, Crona?"

Crona turned her gaze from the register, seeing one of her coworkers. "Oh… Hi, Maka," She mumbled. "I-it's not a big deal…"

Maka frowned. "It looks like a big deal," She murmured. Crona sighed; Maka was really good at reading her emotions.

Ragnarok jumped up and down, peeking out at Maka from behind the counter. "She gave her number to a guy she loved and he said no!" He proclaimed.

Maka's expression instantly became piteous. "Oh, Crona," She whispered. "I'm sorry." She put her arms around her friend briefly. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up. One of my friends is having a small party tonight, just a get-together because Soul finally got back from his vacation," She paused. "My friends don't really need a reason to throw a party, do they?… Anyway, I don't think that Kid would mind if I invited someone else. Wanna come?" She smiled brightly.

Crona sighed. "I guess… If I can convince Mom to let me leave Ragnarok at home," She mumbled. The aforementioned child crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at his sister.

Crona was still terrified of driving, even though she was past old enough to have her license, so Maka picked her up and dropped her off every work day. So after Crona and Maka got off from work, they immediately dropped Ragnarok back at Crona's house and grabbed a change of clothes for the pink-haired teen. They took a denim skirt that went down to her knees and a white t-shirt with ravens on it, and then got out as quick as they could, wanting to leave Ragnarok with Medusa before the aforementioned blonde could have much time to object. The two changed out of their work uniforms at Maka's before the green-eyed teen drove them both to Kid's.

Crona stared at the elaborate estate. Everything was not only entirely symmetrical, it was _huge_.

"This Kid guy must be really rich," She pointed out, seeing sparkling and elaborate fountains decorated with what appeared to be a creative but comical interpretation of the Grim Reaper.

Maka nodded. "Yep. His dad owns a lot of companies," She said, pulling into the driveway. A few other cars were already there, signifying that the rest of their small group of friends were already within the mansion. The two stepped out of the car before walking up to the door. Crona was turning in circles, trying to take in the entire appearance of the immense mansion, and Maka giggled at her friend before knocking on the large doors. A tall raven-haired girl opened it, smiling down at Maka.

"Hi, Maka! It's not like you to be late; everything okay?"

Maka nodded. "Everything's fine, Tsubaki. I just brought a friend from work and we had to pick up clothes for her," She explained as Crona came up behind her. Tsubaki waved gently.

"Hi. Black*Star's trying to get Kid to play Truth or Dare, even though it's not even six o'clock," She sighed, a little exasperatedly as Maka and Crona stepped in. "I figured that he'd wait until after the pizza came, at least…"

Crona stuck close to Maka, not knowing her way around the mansion. They headed towards the living room, and the pink-haired teen could hear voices coming from the entryway.

"Your turn, Kid! I choose truth! What was the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you this year?" A loud male voice exclaimed. Crona guessed that it belonged to the Black*Star that Tsubaki had been talking about. But the voice that replied caused Crona's eyes to widen.

"Admittedly, something really embarrassing happened to me today," Kid sighed. Crona rushed past Maka, standing in the living room doorway to see a golden-eyed boy with black and white hair sitting on a couch near the door. "This guy at the food store tried to give me his cell number. Do I look like I'd be interested in…" He cut off, noticing Crona. The teen immediately paled. "You're a girl?!" He shouted, noticing her skirt. At the same time, Crona exclaimed,

"This is _your _house?!"

Maka and Tsubaki stepped in behind Crona, looking confused. "What's going on here?" Maka asked. Crona turned her gaze to the floor, suddenly looking really nervous.

"W-well, um… Kid's the one who wouldn't go out with me earlier…" She said quietly. Maka's eyes widened. Before anyone knew what happened, the feisty blonde had rushed over to Kid and flattened his head with a book that had equal density to a hardcover phonebook.

"Ow…" Kid groaned. Soul, sitting in the floor nearby, winced.

"I feel your pain, man," He said.

Kid rubbed his head, looking up at everyone. "I swear I didn't know she was a girl!" He exclaimed.

Liz watched him, interested. "I've never seen him this flustered," She whispered to Patty, who giggled.

"I know; isn't it great?"

Crona didn't meet anyone's gaze, but went back to watching her feet. Her heart began pounding once more, however, when black dress shoes that she recognized stepped next to hers. They were closer than they ever had been when she had been separated from him by the cash register. She turned her eyes upwards, slowly looking to Kid, but the tables had turned: he was avoiding her gaze now.

"I… I'm sorry," He said quickly. "I didn't realize… I mean, I thought you were a guy. Without a skirt, it's kind of difficult to tell…" He admitted. Crona watched him, listening closely. "Sorry. About that, and about rejecting you earlier. If you still want to, I'd be fine with getting your number now," He said.

The entire room was silent for a minute as everyone watched the two. The tension between them could practically be felt. Suddenly, however, the smallest of smiles graced Crona's lips.

"It's all right," She said. "You just didn't understand. So now we can get a fresh start, right?"

Kid looked at her, finally meeting her gaze. Her eyes were gentle greyish-blue, kind but timid. "_They _are_ kind of adorable_," The teen thought to himself.

"I don't have any paper to write it down on," Crona said, digging in her purse. "But I do have a pen…"

Kid smiled a little. "Write it on my arm," He said, holding it out. "I'll put it in my phone later."

Crona smiled back, tentatively taking his arm. His skin was cold, but soft. Crona's gentle touch caused the boy to smile more as she wrote down her cell number. Patty and Liz giggled, but Kid shot them silencing glares. Everyone else simply sat and watched, observing the two as they became absorbed in their own world.

Once Crona was done, Kid immediately gave her his other arm. "You have to write it on both," He said quickly. "For symmetry's sake."

Crona raised an eyebrow, but obliged with another smile. As soon as she pulled away, Black*Star threw his arms around their shoulders.

"That was cute an' all, but kinda boring!" He exclaimed, grinning. "Kid, I dare you to kiss her!"

Both Crona and Kid paled, immediately protesting. Black*Star cackled, pulling the two towards the rest of their friends and ignoring their panicked cries. "C'mon, guys! It's a party! The pizza should be here soon, but right now we've got barbeque chips and sour cream and onion! So if you're not gonna kiss, you might as well eat!"

The rest of the party went fairly seamlessly, while Crona and Kid spent the evening talking together and getting to know each other. It came as no surprise to anyone when word got out that Kid had called Crona the following day, asking her on a date to the ice cream parlor.

Crona's job proceeded normally, with Ragnarok occasionally in tow. Kid still showed up every Saturday at three, getting his groceries for himself, his father, and whoever else happened to stop by the house. Although, Kid began to come more often. Also on Saturday, he would pick Crona up from work and take her on dates.

One day, many weeks later, Kid finally agreed to Black*Star's dare. Crona couldn't wipe the smile from her face for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Yes, I made Ragnarok Crona's younger brother. That's different, right? I see fanfics depicting him as a big, threatening guy, but I think of his smaller form and think of him as an annoying little pest of a brother. By the way, if you type 3507 in on a calculator and then turn it upside down, it does say "lose". Try it.**


	10. Set-Up On Stage

**Prompt by symmetrical-neko on Tumblr. I don't own Soul Eater, guys. No matter how much I want to…**

**Of Monsters and Demons, Chapter 11**

**Set-Up on Stage**

* * *

Description: When a high-stakes bet is proposed among the staff of the DWMA, Marie has the perfect plan to win. A plan that involves teaching Crona to play the lute, keeping Soul and Maka distracted, and getting Tsubaki and Black*Star to kiss while dressed as Maid Marian and Robin Hood. Fluff Eater! Main pairing: TsuStar

* * *

Conversations in the DWMA teacher's longue always managed to be interesting. Even if they weren't, the subject would be quickly picked up by someone else and changed for the better. One of the most popular topics for discussion was the relationship statuses of their students.

"I think I saw Tsubaki and Black*Star holding hands today!" Marie smiled as she poured herself some coffee. "Those two are just so cute together, don't you think?"

Nygus glanced over at the blonde. "Actually, I saw Soul and Maka holding hands about a month ago," She stated. "I can't say I'm surprised."

Spirit visibly paled. "My darling daughter was holding hands with that juvenile delinquent?!" He exclaimed. His brow furrowed. "My fists are gonna have to have a talk with Soul…"

Marie sighed, turning around and leaning against the counter as she sipped her coffee. "You're overreacting, Spirit," She assured him, "I'm sure that Tsubaki and Black*Star will kiss long before Maka and Soul."

Stein wheeled in the door just in time to see his sempai collapse in a fatherly faint. The grey-haired meister twisted his bolt for a moment, looking down at the redhead, before turning his gaze up at the others. "What's his problem?" He mumbled as he scooted further into the room on his stitched-up office chair.

"He's freaking out over the fact that his daughter and Eater might get together soon," Stated Sid, having been casually observing the debate from the other side of the room.

Stein blinked once, then stood from his chair and made his way over to the coffee machine. "My money's on Kid and Crona," He said nonchalantly.

The room fell silent for a moment as everyone stared at Stein, in shock from his sudden revelation, although Sid could barely be heard whispering to Nygus, "Is Crona even a girl?" To which his partner shrugged.

After those few seconds of quiet, an uncharacteristic smirk began to form on Marie's lips. "You'd put money on it, then?" Questioned the Death Scythe, to which Stein nodded while he sipped his own coffee. Nygus raised an eyebrow at her friend's growing smirk as Marie declared, "I bet you fifty bucks that Tsubaki and Black*Star will kiss before Kid and Crona."

All eyes set on Marie, including Spirit's, who had regained consciousness just in time to hear Marie's statement. He jumped up quickly. "I'll bet a hundred that they'll get together before Soul and Maka!" He proclaimed, obviously very confident. Making a bet that he'd obviously win was a good way to get easy money, after all.

Nygus put her hands on her hips. "I'll bet on that," She replied, equally confident.

Stein nodded. "All right."

"Then the bet's on!" Marie grinned. "Whichever teacher sees the couple they support kiss first will get a hundred dollars from everyone that loses!"

"Agreed!" Settled the others.

"Now, hold on, guys," Sid interrupted, stepping forward into the little debate circle. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he said, "Everyone knows that Kim and Ox will kiss first."

Thus began the bet that would soon become legend among the staff of the DWMA.

* * *

Most everyone at Shibusen was surprised when Marie Mjolnir announced that Lord Death had approved her proposal for a school play that she had written. As far as anyone could remember, that school never had a drama class, not to mention a performance. Actually, no one could recall any event hosted by the Academy- or the city, for that matter- that didn't pertain to fighting or duels in some way. Even more unexpected was the fact that the blonde Death Scythe entirely skipped auditions and went right to placing the cast list on the bulletin board on a large poster.

Kid tilted his head to the side as he stared at it. "Well… It's placed fairly symmetrically, so I have to give Marie a little credit," He said. "But… 'Fairly' isn't good enough," Muttered the young Reaper, eye twitching. Patty and Liz grabbed one of their meister's arms each to keep him from tearing up the poster. Their group of friends was assembled in front of the board, looking over the cast list.

"I think it's pretty inconvenient that Marie put a poster about a play on a bulletin board that's used for posting missions," Maka pointed out, crossing her arms, as Crona read the title.

"Robin Hood?" She said quietly. "What's that?"

Soul groaned a little. "You're cast as the minstrel and you've never even heard of Robin Hood?" He said, to which Maka elbowed him in the ribs.

Tsubaki stared at the cast list with wide eyes as Black*Star read over it.

"Kid, Sherriff of Nottingham. Go figure, you're both stuck-up," He read out loud, either ignoring Kid's shout of protest or just not hearing it. "Fire and Thunder are guards, Ox and Harvar are soldiers… Maka, Patty, Kim, Jackie, and Liz are all Merry Men, Killik's Friar Tuck, and Soul's Little John… Hey, look at that!" The young ninja grinned, pointing at the largest names at the bottom of the poster. "I'm Robin Hood! Awesome!"

Tsubaki gulped. "A-and I'm… Maid Marian…" She said softly, more timid than usual, before Black*Star threw his arm around her.

"Isn't that great?! We get to be the stars of the show!" He proclaimed. "Not like I wasn't a star already, though! HAHA!"

Noticing her friend's anxious look, Maka reached out to touch Tsubaki's other shoulder. "Hey, Black*Star?" She said quietly, "How about you, uh… Lecture Soul about how to be a good second-in-command, all right?" The blonde smiled a little.

Black*Star shot Maka a knowing smirk. "I get ya. I gotta take your weapon down a peg or two if he's gonna be _my _Little John," He said, swaggering over to Soul. Upon managing to distract the blue-haired narcissist, Maka pulled Tsubaki aside.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly. "You seem a little stressed. Do you get stage fright?"

Tsubaki looked into her friend's kind and gentle eyes, trying to think of how much to tell her. She shook her head and sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's just… My casting," She said softly. "I don't think I can be Maid Marian."

Maka smiled gently. "Well, I can help you learn your lines if you need to," She said, but Tsubaki cut her off.

"No, it's not that," She said quietly. "I just… I don't think I can be Maid Marian if Black*Star's Robin Hood."

Maka tilted her head a small bit in confusion, but then a knowing look entered her eyes. "Oh," She said slowly.

Tsubaki nodded, turning her face towards the floor. "It'd be awkward," She confessed. "I…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "You see… I have a crush on Black*Star." Her confession came as no surprise to Maka, but she didn't interrupt. "I know I shouldn't!" Tsubaki added quickly, "Because we're just partners and all, and he's probably not attracted to me at all like I am to his hair and his eyes and his toned body… Help me!" Yelped the Dark Arm, twirling her ponytail nervously upon realizing that she had started rambling.

Maka watched her friend, concerned on multiple levels. "I-it's okay, Tsubaki," She stuttered as she tried to console her, placing her hand on her shoulder again. "I'm sure it won't be a problem. It's just a play, right?" She smiled.

Tsubaki nodded. "You're right," She took a deep breath. "It's just a play. Hopefully Black*Star won't see anything I do as a romantic gesture… But I kind of want him to…" She sighed, shaking her head. The Dark Arm hated being conflicted. "I'll see you later," She told Maka before scurrying off, pulling her meister away from Soul and practically dragging him home.

* * *

Play practice began the next day after school, and would commence that way for the next month. There were immediate protests from the cast and crew when they realized how little time Marie had given them to practice, but the Death Scythe refused to change the date of opening night.

"I'm sure you all can learn your parts in a month!" She smiled at them. She wanted to win that bet as soon as possible, and even though that may have left the month open for her rival pairings to get ahead, it also ensured that they'd all be too busy stressfully memorizing their parts to discuss anything related to romance. In addition, she had a surefire plan to get Tsubaki and Black*Star to meet each other's lips.

The last scene involved a kiss between Marian and Robin.

Tsubaki's face flushed red when she read through the script.

"B-black*Star?" Stuttered the raven-haired weapon as she glanced towards her meister. The two were situated in the back row of the DWMA's auditorium, and Tsubaki had just finished reading over her script. Black*Star had merely been reclining in his seat, his feet propped on the back of the chair in front of him. The young ninja glanced towards his partner.

"Yeah? What's up?" He asked. Tsubaki turned away from his gaze, directing her attention to the stage as she spoke, where Marie seemed to be trying to teach Crona how to play the lute.

"Have you… Read over your lines?" She said.

Black*Star chuckled. "Nope. The star of the show doesn't need to look over his lines," He boasted, throwing his arms behind his head and leaning back once more. "I'll get it down, don't worry. Besides, it's just Robin Hood, right? Pretty simple. Rob from the poor to give the rich, right?"

Tsubaki couldn't help but smile at her partner's blunder. His confident attitude and animated laugh would always lift her spirits, even from the folds of embarrassment. "I think you have that backwards, Black*Star," She told him.

Black*Star raised an eyebrow. He thought over his words for a moment, but then burst out laughing. "Oh, right!" He grinned. "Yep, it's the other way around! Gotta get that straight, eh?" He beamed at her. Tsubaki smiled and nodded in response. Maybe the play wouldn't be that bad, she thought.

Even so, whenever the final scene was practiced throughout the following month, Tsubaki always managed to find some excuse to leave early with her meister in tow. Black*Star didn't question why they continuously left during practice, nor why they never rehearsed the last act. He trusted his partner; she knew what was best for him, and if she didn't think he needed to practice, then he didn't. As a result, the two were even absent from the dress rehearsal, to the continuous disappointment of Marie.

Stein walked up next to his weapon as Tsubaki pulled Black*Star out the door on that last day of practice. "Even though you cheated, seems like your choice couple has found a loophole," He stated, lighting a cigarette. Marie glared slightly at him, but then a glint lit in her eye.

"I'm not cheating. I'm simply giving them a friendly push like the good teacher I am," She told him, "And they'll have no choice but to kiss tomorrow on opening night." As an extra burn, she added, "So how are Kid and Crona doing?"

Stein glanced down at her, giving her a slight evil eye. "Another cheat. Kid's been practicing his role diligently to get it perfect and Crona's occupied with trying to learn to play the lute. She's not doing well, by the way," He said. "This play is going to be a total flop. It's not even really based off any real legend of Robin Hood; you just wove it together to fit your contrived purposes."

Marie shrugged. "It'll be worth the three hundred bucks Spirit and I will each get after Black*Star and Tsubaki kiss each other in front of the whole school," She told him, happily sighing a little. "They're both so cute together… And I'll make them realize it, even if I have to force them," She smiled brightly.

Stein let out a puff of smoke. "Your ominous statement doesn't match your cheerful grin…" He said, but was ignored.

True to his word, Black*Star didn't look at his lines once over the course of the month, although he managed to learn his part surprisingly well. True, most of his lines were slightly different each time he said them, but he had most of the play down. Everything except the final scene, which Tsubaki explained to him as far as she was comfortable.

"There's an archery contest at the end," She told him. "After Robin wins, the Sheriff will realize it's him and fight Robin. The Merry Men and the soldiers and guards fight, and Robin and his band win and cry out 'long live King Richard,'" Described the Dark Arm. She conveniently left out the part about the winner of the tournament receiving a kiss from Maid Marian before asking her to run away with him to Sherwood.

Black*Star grinned in reply, shouldering his prop bow and quiver. "We've been over this, Tsubaki. Don't worry; I've got it," He beamed at her. Tsubaki smiled, swallowing her own anxiety at her meister's confident grin, but her unease continued to quietly claw at the back of her mind.

"I know you do," She said as she adjusted her pink costume dress.

"Places, everyone!" Marie declared, coming off the stage. She had just given the introduction to the program, which meant it was time for the narrator's first part. "Crona, you're up! Break a leg and knock 'em dead!"

Crona glanced up at Marie from her corner. "That sounds dangerous," She whimpered, turning back to her lap. "And I don't know how to deal with big crowds…" Being the minstrel, she was supposed to play a few chords on her lute before narrating the start of each scene.

Marie sighed. She strode over to Crona, pulling her up and dragging her over to the stage. "Come on, dear. You'll be fine," She coaxed her, but the pink-haired teen dug her heels into the floor and wouldn't budge. Marie sighed again, turning to Maka and Kid. "Get her on stage," She whispered harshly.

Kid and Maka had to forcibly push Crona on stage and then scramble off, leaving the malnourished meister standing on the far left of the set. Her eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates as she heard chuckling from the audience. Her entire body locked up and she began shaking violently.

Maka looked out at the stage with concern. "Crona," She whispered, "Play your lute."

Sweat began to bead on Crona's brow. She gulped once, strung a meager and out-of-tune chord on her lute, and then scrambled back behind the curtain to cling to Kid. Upon realizing her invasion of the young Reaper's personal space, dark tints began to spread across her face as she began to blush black, and she pulled away swiftly.

"I-I need a moment," She stammered, before speedily striding over to her corner and curling up in the floor, facing the wall. Kid blushed a little as well, but quickly gained his composure and went back on stage for his part. Though she was concerned for Crona, Marie couldn't help feeling a little relieved that Kid hadn't taken that opportunity to kiss her.

Needless to say, Crona didn't go back on stage for the rest of the production. Most of the rest of the play went on without a hitch, however, until that dreaded final scene.

Tsubaki attempted to calm down her nerves for most of the play, reciting her lines perfectly and with the skill of a professional. At the start of the last act, however, she began fidgeting.

Black*Star grinned after the scene in the play where Robin had just won the archery contest. He slung his bow back over his shoulder, turning to Kid as the young Reaper spoke.

"In addition to a generous cash prize," Declared Kid, or the Sheriff of Nottingham, "The winner of the archery tournament shall now receive a kiss from Maid Marian!"

Black*Star laughed boisterously, going with it. "Well, of course I-!" He cut off suddenly. Tsubaki saw the knowing look in her meister's eyes as he put the pieces together, and his gaze darted towards her. "Wait… What?" He said slowly. The Dark Arm flushed red as she looked towards her lap.

Noticing the uncomfortable air, Kid cleared his throat. "Well, you _would_," He said, but a twisted smirk then spread across his face, "If you weren't Robin Hood! Strip him of his disguise!"

Ox and Harvar darted forward on Black*Star, pulling off his fake beard before the meister could blink. He was still in shock from the previous revelation, but only for another moment. He began acting again, whistling the shrill and signature call that cued the Merry Men. With a mighty cry, the actors sprung from the crowd and began "attacking" the Sheriff and his guards, while Black*Star stole over to Tsubaki and offered her his hand, as was in the script.

"My lady, we must get you out of here," He said, looking into his weapon's eyes. Tsubaki looked back for a moment, staring into those pools of green, and suddenly she couldn't control her emotions anymore.

"Do you not want to kiss me?" She said abruptly. Black*Star blinked.

"What?" He said. He was pretty sure that what she was saying wasn't scripted.

From the side of the stage, Marie was biting her lip. She could almost feel Stein's smirk from the audience; this wasn't the plan.

Tsubaki sighed. "Do you not want to kiss me?" She said, louder. "I saw how nervous you looked when K… The Sheriff mentioned your prize," She stated, having temporarily forgotten that she was in a play. She was about to correct herself and just say one of her lines in an attempt to cover her blunder, but Black*Star set his jaw.

"What are you talking about? Of course I want to!" He blurted out. Tsubaki's eyes widened, and she knew from the blue-haired ninja's expression that he wasn't acting either. "It's just… Kinda sudden, ya know? This wasn't how I expected a first kiss. Heck, we're not even dating yet!"

Tsubaki sighed. "But… I thought that you thought we were just friends," She murmured.

Black*Star crossed his arms. The fight was being taken a bit too seriously by some of the other actors, but he wasn't paying attention to them. "That's how I thought you thought," He admitted, "Am I wrong?"

Tsubaki looked up at him again. Silence stretched between them for a minute. "… Yes," She confessed, ending the quiet. "Black… Robin, you make me strong. Without you I'm a nervous wreck," She said. "I just… Do I mean anything to you? Or am I just your partner that you'd maybe kiss because I just happen to be there?"

Maka and Ox were both getting riled, and it got to the point where Maka instinctively reached out and cluched Soul's hand. The scythe smirked, knowing the silent command well, and shifted into his metal form in a burst of light. Ox caught on, grabbing Harvar and having him transform as well.

Black*Star frowned. "No," He said quickly. "You're the only girl that'll ever be worth my affection. The only one that sticks around when I start telling the world how great I am," He uttered. "I've never thought of kissing anyone but you. You're _my _partner," He declared, pointing to her. "_My _Maid Marian. No other girl is great enough to be mine, and no other guy is great enough to be yours. We deserve each other," He began to beam as his pointing finger became a thumbs-up.

The audience was overwhelmed by the twofold scene before them. The debate between lovers was just as captivating as the fight occurring on the other side of the stage, instigated by Maka and Ox. Blades clashed loudly, but Black*Star and Tsubaki barely noticed.

The Dark Arm smiled. Ease flooded her mind at her meister's words. "I'm really not that great," She said softly. To her surprise, Black*Star laughed at her statement.

"Who are you kiddin'? You're the best ever!" He grinned. "The prettiest, the strongest, and the nicest girl in the entire world!" Announced the blue-haired Robin Hood.

Tsubaki felt a blush creeping across her cheeks. "If you say so," She murmured, but then chuckled a little, "Robin Hood." She reached out, taking his hand. "May I run away with you to Sherwood?" She asked, to which Black*Star laughed once more. Tsubaki loved that laugh.

"Of course, my lady," He beamed.

Marie had been in various stages of stress and worry for the entire scene. Her pairing had missed their cue, had started an argument, and on top of that, they were about to walk of the stage without ensuring Marie's win in her bet.

When Tsubaki stepped close to Black*Star to walk past him, the younger teen didn't move. Tsubaki turned to him, puzzled, but the blue-haired ninja surprised her by turning at the same moment and locking her lips with his. Tsubaki's eyes widened, and when Black*Star slowly pulled away, even the audience's collective "Aaaawwww" didn't distract her from her meister's brilliant green eyes. Black*Star stared contentedly into the indigo irises of his partner, before his face broke out into another grin.

"Come on," He said, leading her off stage. Marie was literally jumping up and down. Meanwhile in the audience, Sid, Nygus, and Stein were about to be short two hundred bucks each, while Spirit was grinning.

Noticing that the rest of her "comrades" were leaving the stage after Black*Star, Maka turned to the audience and raised Soul high.

"LONG LIVE KING RICHARD!" She shouted, before running off the stage. As the curtains closed on the final act, the audience gave a standing ovation.

"THAT'S MY BABY GIRL!" Shouted Spirit.

* * *

The DWMA's production of "Robin Hood" was a smashing success. The reviews in Death City's newspaper "Obituaries and Other News" praised the play's intriguing new take on the romance between Robin and Marian, while saying that it also presented the amazing duels that the DWMA was legendary for. Even though Tsubaki and Black*Star had difficulty recreating their unscripted argument, it typically turned out well during the rest of the performances.

Many people gained from the play, as well. Marie and Spirit each gained three hundred dollars. Black*Star and Tsubaki gained a new girlfriend and boyfriend, respectively.

And Crona learned how to play the lute.


	11. Business As Unusual

**Short drabble for a tumblr prompt: Marie X Stein at the office. Yeah, it's another ship fic, but I wanted to get this prompt done and posted. Fave/Follow and Review! (I don't own Soul Eater.)**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 12: Business as Unusual**

* * *

Weapons and meisters: trained elite that are deployed globally to purge the world of evil and madness, who face daunting tasks and fearsome monsters.

However, the only foe Marie was facing that Saturday was the monstrous pile of insurance forms that sat on her desk.

"Be a teacher, they said," She grumbled slightly, "It'll be fun, they said. You'll get to go fight kishin again, they said. You won't be stuck in an office again like you were in Oceania, they said." She slammed a pile of papers on her desk huffily. "This is EXACTLY THE SAME as Oceania!" She cried, leaning back in her chair.

Marie's single eye glanced out the window. The sky was clear, the sun was laughing, and that robin sitting on the windowsill was going to die soon if it didn't stop chirping and reminding the blonde how beautiful the day was.

"Marie. Are you done yet?"

Marie glared over at Stein, who had just sauntered through the door. His tone was mocking, but his face was blank.

Marie irritably turned her gaze back to her work. "No," She snapped. "I've still got this mountain of insurance papers to fill out. How do our students manage to wreck so many towns and get into so many hospitals?!"

Stein casually leaned against the doorframe. "We were the same way," He pointed out.

The blonde hammer muttered something under her breath, causing Stein to look towards her. He sighed briefly; his weapon wasn't normally that hostile, but when she was overworked, it was a different story entirely.

Stein stepped up behind her, suddenly putting his hands on her neck and brushing them over her shoulders. Marie cringed.

"Your hands are cold," She snapped. "Stein, get off, I need to…" She abruptly stopped. Stein's skilled hands kneaded and pressed against her muscles, massaging her. Her eyes drifted closed as a small smile worked its way onto her lips.

"You're tense," Stein spoke flatly.

Marie bunched her shoulders a bit under his touch. "No I'm not," She said slowly. "I don't need a massage…" She told him, but closed her eye in bliss as in contrast to her words. She hummed a little as Stein moved his hands back to her neck and began working on her collarbone. "How'd you learn to do this?" She asked.

Stein smirked a little. "Knowledge of human muscles. That, and knowledge of you," He said, causing Marie to blush. He began working around her desk chair to knead her back, but Marie scooted away.

"I think that's enough, Stein," She said, despite her desire for him to continue. "I've still got to work."

The smirk fell from Stein's face as he pulled his hands back. He tilted his head a little, giving his overworked weapon a once-over.

Marie's hair was slightly out of place, a sign that she hadn't combed it since she left the house. She usually ran a brush through it at least twice a day, just to keep it in place. The string that tied her eye patch around her head was starting to come loose, as well. Stein clicked his tongue idly, pulling a comb from his pocket. Marie looked at him quizzically when he began combing her hair.

"Stein, what are you doing?" She asked.

The grey-haired scientist's expression didn't change as he ran the comb through her golden waves. "Ignore me," He mumbled. "Just focus on your work."

Marie sighed. "That's a bit hard with your hands in my hair, Stein," She replied. He merely shrugged as he painstakingly removed every knot and imperfection from her soft hair. He set the comb back in his pocket as soon as he was done, and then proceeded to retie her eyepatch. Marie yelped a little; not even Stein had seen her wound. She always made sure to put her patch on before leaving her room in the morning.

Marie's hand flew up to her face, firmly holding the patch in place while Stein worked. She heard him sigh.

"You know I'll see it one day, Marie," He murmured. His voice had suddenly gone gentle. The blonde nodded.

"I know," She replied quietly.

They were silent for another moment, and Stein placed his hands in his pockets again. "I'm sorry," He said.

Marie allowed herself to smile a little. "I keep on telling you that I forgive you," She responded. Her missing eye was one of the only injuries that Stein had inflicted that he had apologized for. "We were young, and it was a long time ago. That's behind us, okay?"

Stein sighed. "All right," He mumbled. He looked down at Marie's work for a moment, but then began walking out the door again without as much as a goodbye. The hammer frowned. Even though he was distracting, she hadn't wanted him to leave. She sighed, turning back to her work. She pulled another paper from her pile and started working on it, filling out the necessary blanks. Silence hung in the air again, until that infernal robin began sharing its sickening cheerfulness with the rest of the world again. Marie picked her head up to glare at it, but the bird was gone. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering where the odd chirping noise was coming from if it wasn't from that bird, when Stein cruised through the door on his squeaky office chair.

"Figured I'd help," He announced. Marie stared at him for a second, but then her face split into a grin.

"Thank you, Stein!" She beamed. The scientist shrugged, wheeling himself over to her desk.

"It's not a problem. I was already done, and I have some free time," He began speaking, but was rapidly cut off when Marie wrapped her arms around him, enveloping Stein in a hug he didn't know how to deal with. "Uh, Marie?" He attempted to speak once more, and was quickly silenced again by Marie's lips pressing against his.

While Marie had originally intended for the kiss to be swift, Stein was swifter. His hand rushed up behind her head, holding her lips against his. They had only started kissing a month ago, but Stein had already discovered through experimentation what they both enjoyed.

Marie would've been happy to let their mouths interact for the rest of the afternoon, but she pulled away after a minute. She wasn't exactly comfortable; she was having to bend over to reach Stein, anyway.

"Later, Franken," She promised. "Right now, we have work."

Stein's expression hadn't changed, save the slight blush that decorated his pale cheeks. He nodded, sliding up beside her to assist with her paperwork. Marie glanced over at him, smiled, and then turned back to the forms. She knew her meister well enough to know that even if he pretended he didn't care, he liked being her boyfriend.


	12. Ignorance

**I'm not making any promises with what or when the next chapter will be. Working on Resbang, so my muse is kind of focused on that.**

**This is another tumblr prompt, but this time for a songfic with Marie X Stein based off of "Almost Easy" by Avenged Sevenfold. (Not set in the world of **_**Innocent Hearts, Tainted Souls **_**for the sake of what came to my head when I heard the song.) I should probably mark this with TW: Suicidal things and schizophrenia.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 14: Ignorance**

* * *

It was creeping in again. Like moths that flutter inside in the brief moment a door is open at night, tiny cracks allowed the darkness to seep through.

The madness was back, and its grip was tightening on Stein.

There's only so long you can fight against your fate, he said. It was his destiny to unravel, no matter how many times Marie wound the pieces back together. There was always another string his insanity would grab and pull, and before he knew it, he'd be coming apart again.

He would lash out at her. He didn't mean to, but her words triggered him. He could feel his insanity creeping in every time he was asked to compromise, even if it was in little things. It increased his stubbornness, his anger, and he refused to accept help.

"Why not?!" Marie screamed at him, finally losing her temper in response to Stein's own fury. "Why won't you let me help you? I care about you, Stein! I want to help!"

When Stein said nothing, Marie huffed loudly and stormed out the front door without another word. Stein stared after her, his chest heaving.

The old couch creaked as Stein fell backwards and seated himself on it. He leaned over, gripping his unkempt hair while he tried to calm his breathing. He knew perfectly well why he didn't want Marie to help him, but telling her was another matter altogether.

Fear was something Franken Stein could never admit to, especially not fear for another person. Marie loved him; it was an affection strong enough that he could see it whenever he looked at her soul. But for how long that love would last, he couldn't tell. For now, her love outweighed her ignorance. However, he couldn't predict how long that would last, or when the scale would tip and they'd find themselves trapped.

She came back three hours later, shortly after midnight. Her tears mixed with the water dripping from her rain-soaked hair. The look on her face was what broke him; sniffing from cold and sorrow, single eye the picture of regret and hurt, her mouth hung open slightly from the exhausted pants that caused her shoulders and chest to rise and fall.

Maybe he had wanted to comfort her. Maybe he was relieved that she had come back to him. For whatever the reason, Stein started forward towards her.

When soft, wet lips met chapped ones for the first time, Stein suddenly realized that he had fallen into an abyss that could very well crush his soul. Yet, there was no reversing it.

His desire to protect her only pushed him further into reclusiveness and insanity. He would murmur over and over to himself, like a mantra.

"I'm not insane. I'm not insane, I'm not insane. I'm not… Not insane."

Marie hated it. She had a habit of leaving the house to escape him because she couldn't bear to see him like that. It hurt her, but Stein was glad for her departure. She suffered because he suffered, and he didn't want to watch her cry for him. He wasn't worth it. Shame pulsed through his heart whenever he thought about what he was doing to her.

Even so, he'd beg her to come back to him, murmuring to himself those words despite the fact that Marie as nowhere within earshot. She would come back, inevitably, and Stein would always greet her at the door with an apologetic kiss that struck both of them like lightning in the midst of a storm. Stunning, yet at the same time, highly dangerous. It lit fires within their souls that had to be extinguished lest either of them burn.

It was nothing new, though. Ever since the two had met all those years ago, they'd been playing a dangerous game of tag. Both would chase after the other, understanding the need for affection, while they both ran because they knew it would hurt both of them. Neither wanted to be tagged, yet both wanted to be "it."

Stein felt as if he was practically binding and tying her, dragging her down with him. She was his last tie to sanity, and even though he didn't mean to, they were knotted together now that his selfish desire had overcome his cautiousness. Sometimes he'd hear Marie murmur to herself when she thought he wasn't listening. She'd cry and confess her thoughts to the bathroom mirror, asking her reflection why she kept going. What relationship they had, if it could be called that, was reducing them both to nothing. She realized that one of them had to go, that they couldn't live like this for much longer. Her own death seemed like the best solution.

Whenever she'd emerge from the bathroom, eye red and puffy, he wouldn't let on that he had heard her. He'd simply go about his day, which often consisted of coping with schizophrenic illusions and whispers, until he was relatively certain that Marie had forgotten her earlier breakdown. Then he would come up behind her, wrap his arms around her waist, and bury his face in her hair.

They'd stand there for a minute, and Marie would place her arms over Stein's. Neither would speak until the very end of their embrace.

"You're worth everything to me," One would utter. Whoever said it would change from time to time. The other would nod.

"I know," They'd reply.

Marie wasn't as sturdy as Stein was. Even under constant mental and emotional attack, Stein could still hold himself up. The only times that the weight of his emotion would settle on his shoulders would be when Marie left the house, and he didn't have her as a distraction from himself. But the blonde was slipping from his grip. Her shoulders constantly sagged. Her eye had lost its golden luster. Every smile she bravely wore was so fake that Stein could see the struggle in her face to uphold it. And no matter how many times she denied it, he knew that her degradation was his fault.

Eventually, Stein decided to take things into his own hands. Without any prior warning, one day he walked right past Marie and out the front door. He didn't turn to look at her, nor did he see the look of horror that crossed her face. The blonde almost screamed when the door closed, but her breath caught in her throat. She almost got up to run after him, but the three words that had been haunting her for months replayed themselves in her mind:

"_What's the point?_"

Marie stopped with her hand on the knob. She stood there for a moment, sniffing. Stein was gone. She had failed to protect him.

Stein walked around the city with slightly jerky motions. His eyes shifted around, swiftly trying to find what he was looking for in the crowded streets. People gave him odd looks, but he ignored them.

"Professor Stein? Is that you?"

Stein whipped around abruptly, staring at the girl who had addressed him. She was much shorter than him; a blonde with eyes that sparkled like peridot gems.

She seemed familiar, but Stein looked her over for a minute as he tried to remember where he had seen her before. He hadn't been outside in so long, nor had he been to the Academy. His scrambled brain tried desperately to process who this girl was.

"Are you okay, Professor?" She asked. Stein blinked, unresponsive. The girl shifted between her feet. "You haven't been at the Academy in a while. Lord Death said that you didn't want visitors, or I would've come over to say hi."

Her voice sounded odd. Stein hadn't heard any voice other than his or Marie's for far too long. The murmurings of the madness in his head and his delusions were the only other words that were ever audible. But this girl didn't seem like a dream; she was too genuine. She wasn't twitchy, and her voice was clear and energetic.

The girl tilted her head as Stein merely continued to stare at her. "Professor, are you…"

"Flowers."

The girl blinked as she was interrupted. "What was that, Professor?"

Stein shook his head. He couldn't waste time trying to figure out who the girl was; he had a job to do.

"I need flowers," He said again, "For Marie."

The girl's lips split into a smile. "Aw, that's really sweet of you! Are you going to the shop on Murder Street?"

Stein slowly nodded. Murder Street. Simple enough; all he had to do was follow the street signs.

"Thank you, Maka," He said absentmindedly, walking away again. He didn't even realize that he had called the girl by a name he couldn't remember. Maka stared after him.

"Thank you for what? Professor Stein?!" She called, but Stein was already lost in the crowd. Maka frowned. "Something's wrong," She murmured to herself.

Roses, violets, daffodils, bluebells, and tiny pentas. Stein wasn't quite sure what a penta flower was, but they were pink. Marie liked pink, he thought. He couldn't remember exactly what she liked, but he wanted the bouquet to look as colorful as possible. The dismal interior of Patchwork Lab was one of the things wearing Marie down, so Stein assumed that a variety of colors would help to lift her spirits.

"I was wrong to have kept you with me," He spoke as if to Marie, but she was nowhere within earshot as Stein stumbled back home. "But I'm going to make it right. I promise, Marie, that I won't rest until your smile lights up the planet!" He chuckled to himself. But even as he grinned, he gripped the arm carrying the flowers with his free hand, trying to distract his madness with pain.

"I'm not insane," He breathed, shaking. "I'm not… Not… Not insane!" He yelled, trying to convince himself. "I'm not insane, not insane, not insane, not in-!"

He cut off suddenly. Olive eyes widened and his heart began beating louder and faster than it had in months, even with his frantic madness.

The flowers dropped from Stein's hand as he charged forward. His worst recurring nightmare laid in front of him, on the sidewalk leading to his home.

She had fallen from the roof.

Stein gasped, falling onto his knees before her broken body. Her eye was closed; she hadn't wanted to see when she fell.

Stein stared at her. His arms moved to wrap themselves around her, seemingly without his permission. Her body was already cold as he held her to him, cradling her. With every movement he could feel the irregularity of her broken bones.

"Marie," He rasped. His throat was suddenly dry, as if he hadn't drank anything in days. He felt like he hadn't. "Marie. Move," He pleaded, shaking her slightly. "This is a nightmare. I've had this nightmare so many times, Marie," He laughed nervously. "It should've ended by now. Come on. Wake up. It's easy… Almost…"

She didn't move, nor did she reply. Atop the emotional baggage Stein placed on her every day and night, the weight of Marie's supposed failure was the last push she needed to finally fall.

Stein's hands shook, threatening to drop her. "Come back to me," He begged. The tremors spread throughout his body. He set his head down in the crook of her neck and breathed in the last traces of her scent. "Marie. Please. Come back."

"She's not coming back, Stein."

The mad doctor lifted his head. Another familiar voice wafted into his ears, as the source's cold hands settled on his shoulders.

"It seems as if you're lonely enough to think of me again. I'm touched. Too bad I'm not real, or I could take her body and finally be more than conscious madness again."

Stein didn't move, but listened to her words. She seemed indifferent, her words carelessly slithering off of her tongue.

"You've fallen so hard, Stein. Didn't your mother ever teach you how to learn from your mistakes? I thought you had learned your lesson."

Stein shook his head against Marie's skin, causing the voice to stay silent for a moment. The sound of the other woman's bare feet slapping against the concrete echoed throughout Stein's cell-like yard. She knelt down before him, and set her hand on Stein's head before gradually tilting it upward until his eyes met hers.

Medusa smirked. "Poor, broken Stein," She crooned. She chuckled as she stood, and then offered her hand to him. "I can make the pain go away. Just come back to me," She grinned. "Dive headfirst into your madness. Drown in the deep end. Bleed from the pressure."

Stein had forgotten how to think for himself. Marie had been everything. Now that she was gone, he needed a new direction, he reasoned. He began to find himself taking Medusa's hand, rising to his feet in the process. She chuckled once more and began to walk off, but Stein stopped. A small voice in the back of his head protested:

"_Would Marie want this?_"

Stein's stare rotated back to Marie. When Medusa followed his gaze, she scoffed.

"That's a corpse, Stein. It's useless. Even more useless than a delusion. A corpse does nothing. A delusion can speak and move," She spoke, touching her hand to the side of his face and moving him to face her again. "Sometimes the things in our heads have more influence over us than what is in the outside world, hm?"

Stein could only nod as his feet began moving again.

Maka frantically rushed down the backroad to Stein's house. She didn't care what Lord Death said; it had been two years since Stein had been to the Academy, and she needed to make sure he was okay.

When she arrived, there was no sign of Stein. Only the broken body of his love and the cruelly bright colors of his flowers remained.


	13. Situations

**This is just a small set of tumblr prompts I did over the month. They were too small to make into individual chapters, so I thought I'd compile them.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 14: Situations**

* * *

They were still getting used to the idea of a relationship. The fact that they had been partners for five years prior helped a bit with the transition, but they had only been officially a couple for a week.

Their first kiss was out of the way; that had been part of what alerted them to each other's affection. What they couldn't figure out, standing in their hallway at nine in the evening, was exactly how to go about a second one.

Maka's hands rubbed up and down Soul's sleeves, and his own palms rested on her waist. For the fifth time, he lowered his head down towards hers, but she made no move to mimic his gesture. With her head facing downward, kissing her was near impossible.

Soul groaned audibly. "Makaaaaa," he drawled, holding out the last vowel in her name, "You wanna kiss or not?"

When she merely rested her head against his chest, he sighed a little, bringing his hand up to stroke her hair.

"It's okay if you don't want to," he said softly. "We're still working this out. I'll wait until you're ready," he told her, and took his hands off of her waist before he turned to walk to his room.

Suddenly, one of her gloved hands reached out and grabbed his tie. With the strength of a girl who'd swung a scythe around for five years, she pulled him back to her and down to her lips. Their noses awkwardly bumped against each other, and Maka's hands shook with nervousness.

Soul chuckled a little when they broke apart. "We've got a lot to learn," he said, kissing her nose and sending a blush across her cheeks. "But mostly you. You're not supposed to bump noses."

She slapped him a little, flustered. "Shut up."

* * *

Tsubaki tried to resist the urge to fall onto the couch and not move until school started again. While she did enjoy spending time with her children over summer break, she was getting a bit tired of playing hide-and-seek-and-tag, which she had been doing almost nonstop for the past couple weeks.

She leaned against the wall and sighed, running a hand through her hair as she wondered which god had taken it upon himself to "bless" her with twins.

Oh right. That would be her husband. The one that was currently scuttling quickly across the floor on all fours, only encouraging Ao and Amaya.

"I'm coming to get you!" he bellowed, earning giggles from both of their six-year-old children while he chased them. As soon as Tsubaki met his gaze, she subtly moved her head towards the direction of the twins' bedroom, trying to imply that she wanted him to herd them over there. Black Star nodded in reply and shot her a small grin, before turning his attention back to their kids.

"Okay, you two, I'm still coming!" He hooted, moving them towards their room amid Ao's mad laughter and his sister's playful screams.

Having worn themselves out, the twins were safely in their bunk bed within ten minutes, being kissed goodnight on the forehead by each of their parents.

Black Star sighed with relief once he had switched on their nightlight and closed the door. Sweat wetted both his and Tsubaki's hair, and when his wife's exhausted eyes looked towards their mess of a living room, a small groan escaped her lips. Black Star's smirk softened as he placed one of his hands to her cheek, turning her head slightly to kiss her gently.

"You did great today," he beamed at her. Tsubaki smiled back at him, and he put his arm around her waist. "I'll help you clean," he added.

* * *

Crona's eyes were wide at first, but then they closed in ecstasy. Her lips moved smoothly, and her tongue swiped back and forth while she made small, pleased noises in the back of her throat.

That dang ice cream she was eating was driving Kid crazy.

He had only wanted to treat her, but that infernal vanilla ice cream cone stole all of his girlfriend's affections the second she had laid eyes on it, he brooded. His own cone sat melting in his hand, dripping chocolate onto the flagstone in front of them as they sat on a low brick wall.

Kid glanced over at Crona, who still had her eyes closed. Her teeth occasionally bit into the soft serve, drawing his attention to her pink lips. He ground his own teeth a little, gripping his cake cone to the point that it cracked, spilling more melted ice cream onto his fingers.

Crona paused when she heard the sound, glancing at Kid with concern in her eyes. "Kid?" she said quietly. "Is everything all-!"

He didn't give her the chance to finish as his lips swiftly collided with hers and caught her off-guard. They locked together perfectly, and the slight traces of vanilla that had lingered on Crona's lips were gone completely by the time Kid pulled away, their mouths separating with a slight _smack_. As his half-lidded eyes stared into her wide ones, the young Reaper couldn't hide his small smirk; that ice cream had nothing on him.


	14. Monster

**I'm finally getting around to post my SteinMarie Week entries here. As no not overwhelm anyone with the shippage, I'll post different stories in-between them.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 15: Monster**

* * *

_Description: Monsters can be found in all sorts of forms. Stein's little monster happens to have endearing eyes that have a strange power to bend him to her will. In Stein's opinion, that's way too much power for a seven-year-old._

* * *

Rain poured down upon the streets of Death City, soaking the formerly dry town in an unexpected downpour as thunder rumbled distantly. Oddly enough, Stein found nature's tempest calming. The droplets clattering onto his window added soothing background noise while he wrapped his arm tightly around his wife's waist. She was sleeping soundly, golden eye closed, though her mouth hung open slightly with soft snores. He was always the last one asleep, but he didn't mind; it meant he got to watch Marie a little as she slumbered. In those quiet moments, he wondered what he had ever done to deserve her.

Even with the sound of the rain, tranquility wasn't something Stein experienced often before Marie. But, he thought as he closed his eyes, that peace was something he could get used to.

However, when a high-pitched scream split the night, his eyes shot open.

Stein was out of bed in seconds, dashing out the door and down the hall in the sweatpants and stretched-out t-shirt that he had worn to bed. He didn't suspect that he had stirred Marie; that woman of his could sleep through the floor collapsing out from under her.

Which had happened, once. It wasn't as if Stein had known the floorboards in that room were moldy and decayed; otherwise he would've warned her. The guest room hadn't really been tended to before Marie moved in for the first time. The Death Scythe had thrown a royal fit upon waking up the next morning amid broken beams and plaster on the floor below her room.

Minus glasses and in the dark of a moonless night, Stein's only guide through his house was the occasional flash of lightning that illuminated the furniture around him. As a result, he ended up stubbing his toe more than once during the trip to the former guest room. Uttering hushed curses under his breath, Stein didn't slow his pace. His destination was too urgent.

Stein slammed open the bedroom door, his head rushing slightly from throwing himself out of bed. "What's wrong?!" He said quickly, "Why did you scream?"

A ragged mess of blonde hair whipped around to stare at him. Her olive eyes were wide and frightened, and her small hands clung to the duvet that she had pulled tightly around herself.

"I heard a monster," she whimpered, her small, seven-year-old body shivering in fright.

Stein blinked. He didn't quite know how to respond to that. There were certainly no kishin in his area; Lord Death would've called him. They were the only real type of monster that he could think of, so he quickly realized that something irrational had startled her. The doctor heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He idly noticed that it was oily; he should probably take a shower in the morning.

"Shelly," he said slowly and gently, "There are no monsters anywhere near here. You know I would've been alerted. Death City's pretty safe," he reassured her. However, she shook her head, her wavy blonde locks whipping around her face as she did so.

"I heard it!" She insisted. "It was under my bed! I heard the floor creak!"

Stein leaned against the doorframe, watching her with tired eyes. "I can assure you that there is absolutely no room under your bed for anything else," he mumbled. The space under his daughter's bed was literally overflowing with box upon box of various pink figurines and accessories, and the toys were packed so tightly that nothing bigger than Black Star's humility could fit between them.

Shelly's lip quivered. "But I'm scared," she whimpered. "Can you please check?"

Her father watched her for a moment, contemplating going back to bed, but he began to feel his resolve crumbling like the pound cake that Marie had made the other day. The fear reflected in Shelly's eyes and her frightened trembling was enough to get him on his knees, checking under her queen-size bed for anything more sinister than a doe-eyed doll.

Without warning, Stein gasped. He fell backward, his hands grasping at something scrabbling at his throat, and Shelly shrieked in horror at the sight.

That is, until Stein began laughing, holding up a stuffed pink turtle. "It jumped me. The beast," he grinned. Shelly frowned, crossing her arms.

"That's not funny, Daddy," she grumbled.

Stein chuckled, shoving the plush toy back under her bed. "You're right; the turtle's name is Clara, not Funny," he added. Shelly audibly groaned as Stein picked himself up. "But rest assured that there are no monsters under your bed. This house always creaks when it rains. It just doesn't rain much around here, so you're not used to it," he explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to bed."

Shelly swiftly tensed again. "But… What about in the closet?" She murmured. "You didn't check in the closet."

He halted in the doorway, another sigh working its way through his lips. "Look, Shelly, I already told you…" He stopped abruptly when he turned around again to meet the concerned eyes of his child.

Those eyes had convinced him to put on a pink hat and play tea party before, and they could probably convince him to jump off a cliff if she wished it. It was for that reason that Stein found himself opening the closet door to look for monsters, only to be assaulted by falling board games.

Shelly shrunk back slightly. "Oops," she mumbled.

Stein brought his arms up to halt the onslaught. The games had been balancing precariously on the shelf, which was probably the result of his short-in-stature daughter trying to clean up her room in the smallest amount of time possible. Her tall father easily placed the games back in their proper places, barely having to glance up to look at the shelf.

"No monsters," he said after he was done, closing the closet door soundly, "Just clothes and games."

Shelly finally seemed to relax. "Thanks, Daddy," she smiled at him. Stein found himself returning the expression, albeit very slightly.

"You're welcome, and goodnight," he told her, making his way back towards the door.

"Wait…"

He had almost closed the door entirely before his daughter's voice stopped him. He cast one last longing look towards his own bedroom, where his side of the bed was probably being taken over by Marie-I-sleep-like-a-starfish-Stein. Resigning himself to the fact that he wasn't going to get any more sleep that night unless Shelly allowed him to, he turned back to his daughter and held the door open.

"Yes?" He said, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice.

Shelly looked towards him pleadingly. "Can I have a glass of milk?" She asked softly.

Stein nodded compliantly. "You can't have it in your room, though," he said, scrabbling for any hold he had on authority. His daughter shrugged, sliding out of bed and following his ambling gait to the kitchen.

Shelly pulled out a kitchen chair and sat herself on it as Stein nearly blinded himself by opening the fridge and meeting the bright light after his eyes had adjusted to the dark.

"Can you really get me a glass of milk?" she asked skeptically. Stein nodded blearily, pulling the milk jug out of the fridge. "Mommy says that you didn't know how to pour your own drinks before she got here."

"Well, Mommy's wrong," said Stein as he poured her drink. He lifted the cup from the counter and carried it to her. "See? I can pour a drink," he stated.

Shelly glanced down at the cup briefly. "This is a beaker," she deadpanned upon looking back up at him. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"For tonight it's a cup. Drink up," He told her, capping the milk. It wasn't his fault that he didn't remember where Marie stored the actual drinking cups. "Don't worry; it's been heavily sterilized."

The blonde girl made a face. "It tastes like soap," she gagged.

"That'd be the sterilization," replied her father.

Shelly stuck her tongue out briefly as she gazed down at her drink with slight disdain, but one look from her father demanded that the milk, and his time, had better not be wasted. Putting on a brave face, she resumed drinking the contents of her glass in gulps, obviously trying to swallow the vile taste as quickly as possible.

Stein watched coolly as she downed the last bit. "All right, you're done," he said promptly, practically grabbing the beaker from her fingers and depositing it in the sink. "Now, I think it's time we should be getting back to bed."

Shelly rocked her shoulders a little. "But…" she began slowly. Stein grimaced slightly and braced himself.

"But… The TV guide said that _Jaws_ was coming on this morning at two…"

Stein felt as if he could sigh until sunrise. "You're afraid of monsters in your room," he said slowly, trying to make sense of her, "Yet you want to watch a movie about a monster shark?"

At Shelly's almost eager nod, Stein realized two things, the first being that children were a mystery that he wasn't likely to solve anytime soon. The second was that he couldn't very well say no to the girl before him, whose eyes, though they matched the color of her father's, were as radiant and beautiful as her mother's single eye.

"What channel?" He complied with a small smile.

After switching on the TV and turning it to _Jaws_, Stein stretched and settled on the couch. Shelly climbed into his lap without hesitation, while Stein closed his eyes and tried to get comfortable enough to sleep through the movie. It didn't interest him, anyway. He never got the point of watching movies, but Marie had managed to get him to sit down through many a Hallmark channel special. At least _Jaws_ was slightly more his speed. Or it would be if the shark wasn't obviously robotic.

"Daddy. Daddy wake up."

Stein pried one eye open to find his daughter's face nearly right up against his. Instead of being startled, as he supposed any normal person would be, he merely opened his other eye and yawned. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. Checking the clock, he realized that he had been out for the good part of an hour.

"What is it, Shelly?" He said, adjusting his position. Laying long-ways on the couch and resting his head on the armrest wasn't good for his neck, a detail he had apparently overlooked when he had laid down to wait out the movie. With a jaded gaze, he glanced over at said movie and quickly assumed that someone must have been murdered onscreen, if the high amount of fake blood and screaming actors was any indication.

The blonde girl squirmed. "I have to go," she whispered.

Stein hadn't heard that phrase for years, not since Shelly had been potty-trained. He sat up and blinked at her.

"You're a big girl. You can take yourself," he said, setting one of his large hands on her head and slightly ruffling her hair.

"Yeah, but the hallway's really dark," she protested while trying in vain to remove her father's hand. "Daddy, you're messing up my hair," she mumbled.

Stein smiled at her. "You already had bedhead, little experiment," he chuckled, using his (slightly morbid) pet name for her. He looked over towards the hallway leading to the bathroom, which appeared almost ominous in its heavily shaded state. The light from the TV didn't reach it. "Can't you just take yourself?"

Shelly shook her head after Stein had removed his hand. "Nuh-uh. Too dark," she mumbled. "And the light switch is too far in the hallway."

Stein clicked his tongue passively. After a moment of silence, he sat up entirely.

"Well, you need to get off me if I'm going to get up and turn on the light for you," he said.

Shelly smiled at him, briefly wrapping her arms around his neck in the best embrace she could manage. There was no way those short arms of hers could reach entirely around his torso; even Marie's arms barely made it. "Thank you, Daddy," she said softly. Stein returned her hug before she could let go, careful not to squeeze her.

"You're welcome, Shelly," he said.

After a couple seconds, she began to struggle. "Daddy. Daddy let go; I gotta pee," she reminded him.

Stein quickly let go and moved off the couch to turn on the hall and bathroom lights for her.

* * *

No birds sung to welcome the day in the dismal courtyard of Patchwork Lab, a silence that Marie had grown accustomed to. Instead, the sunlight filtering through her yellow curtains was enough to wake her. A yawn on her lips, she hazily blinked open her single eye.

Almost immediately, she gasped; Stein's side of the bed was entirely empty, his covers thrown to the side as if he had left in a hurry.

Marie sprung out of bed and dashed out the bedroom door. "Stein?!" She called loudly, worry inching its way up her spine and chilling her despite the warmth of the house.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks when the sound of the TV met her ears. She walked into the living room, now more curious than scared.

At a slight snore from Stein, Marie relaxed and leaned against the doorframe. Stein was laid out along the couch, his legs hanging over the side, while Shelly slept soundly on his chest. Her mother giggled as she made her way over to her husband.

"Good morning, Stein," she smiled, leaning over to kiss his forehead. Stein's eyelids fluttered.

"What time is it?" he drawled sleepily. Marie rubbed their noses together, her blonde hair falling around their faces like a curtain.

"Seven-thirty," she replied softly. Abruptly, she frowned and pulled up, and Stein immediately missed the contact. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Franken. What are you doing out here?" She scolded him.

Stein exhaled a puff of air, blowing a few strands of his hair from his eyes. "Long story," he said. "Ask Shelly when she wakes up."

Marie glanced over at their daughter with affection in her eye. "Little troublemaker. She's her father's child, all right," she grinned at him. Stein rolled his eyes before Marie set her hand down on his head, brushing it across his hair.

Stein huffed. "She's a monster," he mumbled, but closed his eyes in relaxation under her touch.

Marie's fingers wove through the oily grey strands of his hair, gently dislodging small knots and tangles. "But you love your little monster, don't you?" She purred. Stein didn't hesitate; he nodded wordlessly.

Slowly, he felt Shelly begin to stir on his chest, and he opened his eyes to watch her as her own eyelids fluttered. Drowsily, she picked up her head to meet her father's equally jaded gaze, but right as Stein opened his mouth to wish her good morning, Shelly's lips parted in a yawn as she spoke with slurred words.

"What's for breakfast?"


	15. Brothers Severed

**Another varied AU. Not only is this based off of Mothy's "Story of Evil" song trilogy, but it also includes the French revolution and develops into a reincarnation AU. It's meant to be a hasty account, so it switches around years a lot.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 16: Brothers Severed**

* * *

_Description: Soul and Wesley Evans are both princes of France, esteemed and royal. But weapons are the lowest of the low, and Soul's scythe gene forces him into serving his brother. With boundless loyalty, Soul answers to every beck and call of a king whose selfishness could destroy the entire monarchy._

* * *

The facts had been ingrained into Wesley's brain: Weapons were the lower class. Weapons were tools. Weapons were servants.

So why, he wondered as he gazed into the crib of his baby brother, did the Soul-Perceiving nurse declare that Soul was a weapon? It made no sense to Wesley. His brother was a prince, just like him. They grew up in the same palaces, attended to by staff and dressed in the finest coats of shimmering gold-colored fabric. Only when Soul turned ten did his elder brother realize that their paths in life, though united by blood, were vastly different.

* * *

The cathedral near the Summer Palace echoed with the princes' laughter. No one visited the church during the week, and every summer it had been their favorite place to play and pretend one of them was king. The role would switch from time to time, but Wesley would often forfeit the position to his younger brother, for he knew that Soul was never likely to actually become king, and he enjoyed how happy it made him. Even at fifteen, the budding king willingly participated in his brother's games.

"And so, I knight thee, Wes of the empty church!" Soul proclaimed cheerfully and waved his wooden sword. He grinned, showing his mishmash of different teeth. His baby teeth had begun to fall out, but pointed fangs had moved in to replace them. Wesley's own canines were rather sharp, but even Soul's front teeth had formed irregularly.

"Now it's your turn," beamed the younger, kneeling in front of Wesley, who smiled. It was how their game worked: He would be both king and villain next and give Soul some sort of imaginary quest. After sword fighting together, Wesley would once again play the part of the king and knight Soul. However, the younger surprised the elder by altering his lines.

"I'll always serve you, my liege. Even if you became evil, I'll be evil too and stand by your side," he murmured. Wesley stared at him, his eyes widening slightly.

The slamming of the church doors behind the brothers provided a welcome release from the suddenly awkward moment. Wesley straightened up and turned his attention towards the entryway, while the priest strode towards them with purpose-filled gait, followed by a pair of nuns and a female soldier clad in red.

"Prince Wesley," he spoke, bowing once. His wrinkled and tired face betrayed no emotion. "You parents have requested your presence in the gazebo."

Wesley nodded and turned to Soul, reaching out to take his brother by the arm, but the priest's knotted hand settled on his shoulder.

"I'm afraid not, my boy," he said. "Soul is to remain here with Madelon."

The crimson-clad knight gave a curt nod as the priest spoke. Wesley stiffened, casting a concerned glance back at his brother.

The priest sighed. "Your parents will explain to you what is to happen. I suggest you deliver yourself to them posthaste."

Further questions begged for answers from within Wesley's mind, but he kept them sealed there, giving a grim nod and striding out the door past the priest and soldier. The two nuns turned and followed him. Even though he heard Soul call his name, asking what was to happen, the elder did not turn to look behind him.

* * *

Only after talking with his parents did Wesley understand. It was bound to happen, they said. Soul was a weapon. Servitude was his fate. Therefore, he would become Wesley's personal attendant and tool. Madelon would train him to manifest his weapon, while Wesley would learn to use a scythe. No longer was he to treat Soul as a brother, an equal. Destiny had promised him a life of bondage when it endowed him with a weapon's soul, they said. Who were they, the King and Queen, to challenge societal norms? It had been wrong for them to treat the brothers as equals, to put a prince on the same level as his weapon brother. They were sorry for such conduct, and hoped that they had not offended Wesley in any way.

The only thing that offended him, Wesley wanted to scream, was suggesting that his brother had as much purpose as a forged hunk of metal, rather than a real person with a soul. However, the longer the separation between the brothers lasted, the further their parents spoiled their eldest child, the more they insisted that he was superior above all others, a terrifying thing began to happen.

Wesley started to believe them.

* * *

The brothers were united over six months later. Prior to that, Wesley had only caught glimpses of Soul when they were loaded into separate carriages on their journey to the other palace in Paris. So when Madelon requested Wesley's presence in the hall, a small glimmer of hope lit in the prince.

His brother had returned to him.

As soon as Soul was presented to him, Wesley knew that six months had changed them both. Soul stood up straighter, stiller, and much more stone-faced than any ten-year-old boy should be. Immediately, the younger dropped to one knee, bowing his head and placing his right hand on his heart.

"Your humble servant, my prince," he murmured. Wesley's eyes widened. Whether from horror, shock, or fascination, he couldn't tell.

* * *

Within the course of a year, Soul's words changed from "my prince" to "my king." The brothers' parents passed away suddenly, and some suspected that they had been poisoned. Nevertheless, after the period of mourning had ended, Wesley ascended the throne of France at the age of sixteen.

The longer Wesley sat on the throne, the more the position began to get to him. He had servants, palaces, and fine clothing. His every demand was carried out with respect and efficiency, for he was of royal blood. Obviously, he began to think, he was superior to all others. Soul, having been trained to agree, did naught but encourage him.

"Soul," spoke Wesley one day, at the age of eighteen, as his brother kneeled and buckled his king's boots, "Am I a good king?"

Soul paused. He resumed his work shortly, speaking in the low voice he had recently acquired, "Do you want me to be honest, my king?"

Wesley shuffled his foot a little. "Yes. And I've told you that you may just refer to me as 'Wes.' You're still my brother, even if you're beneath me."

Soul chuckled slightly. "Literally," he replied. Wesley huffed a small laugh before his brother continued, and the mirth dropped from his countenance. "The people would not say you are a good king. On my walks through your villages, I've heard many peasants complaining that you oppress them."

Wesley scoffed. "The opinion of the peasantry matters not to me," he muttered. Soul shrugged, standing from his brother's boots and moving to fasten his vest.

"I believe, Wes," he said, focusing on the buttons, "That it is the job of a king to rule over his people. In that case, yes, you are a good king." He turned his gaze upward, his red eyes locking into his brother's mahogany-colored irises. "But I'm afraid that being a good king is quite different from being a good person."

The king merely nodded, ending the conversation.

* * *

After both attending and hosting quite a few grand balls over the course of the next five years, Wesley abruptly found his attention snagged by an enchanting duchess. Her hair fell down her shoulders in a cascade like flaxen gold, and her eyes glistened with every color of the blue ocean. She stood tall, only about eight centimeters shorter than himself. Wesley found his every thought governed by her, that fleeting woman in her deep blue dress.

"You're interested in the Duchess Elizabeth?" a nobleman asked him as the king's gaze followed the duchess across the room. At Wesley's nod, the other man sighed. "I'm afraid she only has eyes for a statesman under the name of Searle. I'd suggest that you give up before she breaks your heart."

Wesley shrugged him off. "I'm sure she'd rather have a king than a statesman," he said, his eyes never leaving Elizabeth's form. "Besides, if I command her to leave Searle, she'll do so. She can't very well disobey her king's word."

Despite his confidence, he soon discovered that the Duchess Elizabeth possessed a rather strong will, and their first and last conversation ended in disaster.

Having finally cornered her in a secluded portion of the hall, Wesley smiled at the beautiful duchess.

"My lady," he said pleasantly, "Would you give me the honor of dancing with you?"

To his surprise, the duchess scowled. "With all due respect, your highness," she snapped, implying that she actually meant to respect at all, "Absolutely not."

Wesley stood flabbergasted for a second, before his brow furrowed and he his creased downward in a frown. "And why not?" he asked. It was an odd situation to him; he always got his requests fulfilled immediately. The blonde duchess' defiance was foreign, and he didn't like it.

Elizabeth turned up her nose. "Because I've seen the looks you've given me, King Wesley, and I am not interested. I never will be interested. My heart is held by another man, and neither of us particularly like you," she spat. Wesley's eyes widened, unused to such insolence, when she added curtly, "Never talk to me again, King Wesley IV. You're not particularly handsome either."

With that, the duchess strode haughtily away, leaving Wesley to gape at her retreating form.

It took the king but a moment to overcome his initial shock before anger began to bubble up from the pit of his stomach, contorting his features into a fierce scowl.

"Your love lies with the statesmen Searle, eh?" he growled, glaring at her back. "I believe the country can do without the statesman Searle."

* * *

Soul held open the carriage door for Wesley when he returned to Paris. The younger brother possessed a cheery air about him as he helped Wesley settle in his bedchamber, smiling uncharacteristically. He seemed a bit distracted, for he didn't remember to pull the curtains closed until Wesley reminded him, and the king had never slept with the curtains open.

"Soul," Wesley spoke sulkily, sitting down at his bureau while he observed his brother, "You're either drunk or in love."

Soul's face turned red suddenly. "W-what gave you that idea?" he stammered. Wesley almost rolled his eyes.

"I know you, Soul. And I know what being in love looks like," he replied. He had seen that same grin and aloof expression in the mirror a few days ago.

The younger brother cleared his throat. "Well… I can't lie to my king, can I?" he sighed.

Wes huffed. "Nor your brother," he said, balling up a piece of paper and rolling it around the desk.

Soul caught his brother's eye for a moment, but then swiftly turned his gaze down to his boots. "I've seen her a lot around town, and we've talked some," he murmured. "But she's beautiful, Wes."

Wesley nodded idly, and his fingers passed the crumpled wad of paper into his other hand. Whoever Soul had met, whatever she looked like, no girl nor woman could ever compare to Duchess Elizabeth. His thoughts remained focused on his lost love as the younger talked on for a while, and Wesley vaguely heard him mention blonde hair the color of ocean sand, along with eyes like peridot gemstones.

"Soul," Wesley spoke up, interrupting him, "We're going to destroy the statesman Searle and his family tonight."

Soul stopped abruptly, his face turning as white as a sheet. "What?" he stammered.

Wesley breathed a sigh. "They must pay for stealing the heart of my dear Elizabeth," he said dispassionately. With a flick of his finger, he sent the balled-up paper flying from his desk and into the floor. "Searle and his entire family shall be executed, along with his staff. His estate shall burn and light up the night sky of Paris."

Soul appeared horrified. "But… Maka is a maid of Searle's manor…" he began to protest, but Wesley fixed him in a minor glare.

"Your king has given you an order, Soul," he snapped. Soul stared at him, shock and foreign hesitation evident in his red irises. Slowly, however, his expression shifted into stoic indifference. Wesley could almost see his brother's free will crumble as Soul bowed, placing one hand over his heart.

"Even if you became evil, I'll be evil too and stand by your side," he spoke softly, as if reminding himself, before he took a deep breath and said louder, "As you wish, my king."

* * *

As the king ordered, the Searle mansion and all who lived in it fell prey to flames and Soul's blade upon that April night. The evening air, formerly unusually chilly, soon heated and wavered with the flames pouring from the estate. Wesley led the charge himself like a madman, swinging his brother's blade back and forth in a heartbroken rage. All who stood in his way - allies, servants, and nobility alike – fell victim to the terrible wrath of the king.

Only after all life had been purged from the mansion did Wesley realize that Soul's shaft, which he had wielded for nearly ten years, had burnt his hands. His brother hadn't made a sound the entire time, but Wesley could feel his soul tense and weaken when they had slain a blonde maid about his age. It hadn't occurred to Wesley at the time that he might have killed the woman his brother loved.

* * *

The king had never quite understood that there would be consequences for his actions. He was king; whatever he wanted was law, and he had no authority to reprimand him. If something happened to go wrong, someone else could always take the blame and punishment.

So when Soul burst into his room, his eyes wide with panic, Wesley found himself thoroughly confused.

"How could you be so stupid?!" screamed the younger, throwing open the doors frantically. Wesley peered at him from his bureau, frowning.

"Is that any way to talk to your king?" he shot back, but Soul seemed to ignore him as he turned on his heel and slammed the doors shut. He held them there while his chest heaved.

"Wes," he spoke slowly, his voice strained. "Burning down the Searle estate was the last straw. The people are furious at your lack of humanity."

Wesley raised an eyebrow and stood. "My lack of humanity?" he parroted, appalled. Those below him, particularly the peasantry, had no business speaking of their monarch like that. Soul groaned slightly as he shoved furniture against the doors.

"Don't you get it, Wes?" he snapped. "You're not king anymore. No one respects your authority." His voice broke as he continued, "They're here, Wes. They're storming the palace, and they're coming for you."

Wesley's breath caught in his throat, and he suddenly froze. His hand traveled to his neck, feeling his skin and collar for a moment, as he nearly felt the phantom blade of the guillotine press against his throat. He gulped, shaking, his wide eyes losing focus, while he struggled to cope with feeling terror for the first time.

Soul's hands settled on his shoulders without warning, startling Wesley into staring at the crimson eyes of his brother.

"Don't panic. You're getting out of this," he said softly. "I've got a plan, all right? You just have to trust me."

At Wesley's meager nod, Soul stepped back. Immediately began to shrug off his clothes, pooling them on the floor. "You too," he said.

Wesley blinked incredulously. "While I trust your judgement, Soul," he muttered, stepping back, "I have no idea what you're doing and do not wish to partake in it."

Soul huffed. "We're switching clothes," he said, as if he had just spoken something as obvious as the color of the sky. "When the rebels storm in, they won't be able to tell the difference between us and they'll capture me. You, dressed as a servant, shall escape unscathed."

The king stiffened. "But… You'll be beheaded!" He spluttered. Soul paused, his shirt around his arms, but then he nodded slowly.

"I know," he murmured. He stepped over to his brother, beginning to unfasten his coat, as he did at the end of every day. He smiled sadly for a small moment, whispering, "I'll play the king today, okay?"

Wesley's throat went dry, but he said nothing. All he could do was hastily undress and pull on Soul's former clothes. They fit perfectly; the brothers had grown virtually identical.

"Now go," Soul said as soon as he was done, pushing him towards a small side door. "You know your way around the palace. Run as fast as you can and get out the back."

The underdressed king turned to look at his brother, horrified at their actions. "Soul, I-!" he began, but a large thud sounded against the main bedroom doors. Soul shot Wesley a meager grin, his eyes saddened yet resolute.

"Goodbye, my liege," he said, then closed the door soundly behind his brother. Horrified, Wesley hesitated but a moment before he tore down the narrow stairs, wiping tears from his eyes as he tried to block out the harsh yells of the invading peasantry.

* * *

The fallen king mingled with crowds of angered rebels before a tall, wooden platform. On it stood the guillotine, poised high above a white-topped head. As the charges were listed and the crowd grew ever restless, the king and his proxy's eyes met. The latter's lips pulled upward a little, displaying pointed teeth, and his shoulders moved with a slight sigh.

"Be done with it then!" he shouted out, his red eyes traveling towards his executioner, "It's nearly teatime."

* * *

Ocean waves washed over Wesley's bare feet. He breathed in a deep breath of the salt air and felt the glass of the bottle in his fingers. He remembered his last trip to the beach, when he and Soul were but children. There he had taught his brother the old myth that wishes, sent adrift in bottles, would come true.

Perhaps it was childish, but the usurped king found himself willing to try anything. His brother had departed from the world too young, and because of Wesley's own selfishness. He hated himself for it. Every night he dreamed of the guillotine's blade falling upon his own neck, and every morning he cursed the fact that it had been a dream.

But he knew that Soul would want him to live. His survival was the very end the young prince had died for.

Therefore, Wesley found himself writing wishes onto parchment. He revised his wish continuously, but they all began with the same phrase.

"_If we are to be born again, allow me to capture the heart of Elizabeth._"

"_If we are to be born again, allow Soul to find his Maka in their next life._"

"_If we are to be born again, allow Soul to gain the highest honors and be hailed like the hero he is._"

"_If we are to be born again, dear fate, let us be brothers once more._"

* * *

"This is babyish, Wes," grumbled Soul. Wes shrugged, stuffing the roll of paper into the Coke bottle. His brother's eight-year-old shoulders sagged. "You're thirteen. You're too old to make wishes."

Wes chuckled. "But wishes in bottles come true, Soul," he smiled at him as he pulled his cork from his pocket. Soul watched as he plugged the bottle. "Want to see how far I can throw it?"

At Soul's eager nod, Wes tossed the Coke glass into the ocean. Soul blinked his large red eyes.

"What did you wish for?"

Wes placed his hands in his pockets, grinning down at his brother. "Not telling," he teased. Soul crossed his arms, sticking his lip out in a pout.

"You gotta tell me!" he cried as Wes began walking back to their parents' awning. The elder merely laughed, while a small written note made its way out to sea.

"_I think I've done this before. I don't remember it, but I feel like one of my wishes has been granted before._

"_This isn't a wish, though. It's just that I know I should be grateful to whoever you are, even if the ocean itself grants wishes. I'm sure you've helped me somehow._

"_So thank you. Thank you so much."_


	16. Is That My Shirt?

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 17: Is That My Shirt?**

* * *

_Description: Stein asked Marie to fix his torn shirt when they were little, before he learned to sew. He forgot about it and never expected that shirt to turn up again. But now that he's older, he's too coffee-deprived to notice that shirt on someone else._

* * *

Scorching heat from laughing sun beat down through the arid skies of Death City, and the raucous rattling of cicadas filled the afternoon with the sounds of summer. The spires of the DWMA glistened cobalt in the sunlight, while the wooded area behind the school provided welcome shade to students before they left for their dorms. One group of teens sat at their normal hangout spot, leaning against trees and chatting about hardly anything of importance, as they often did.

"Where's Stein?" Marie asked, interrupting Spirit's pointless banter about comic books. Her eyes scanned the clearing worriedly. "He should be here by now."

Spirit stretched. "He wouldn't come out of the bathroom stall and told me to go on without him," he said and rolled up his sleeves. Next to him, Kami badly attempted to act like she wasn't staring at his arms.

Marie looked anxiously towards the DWMA. "I hope he's okay," she murmured softly. Beside her, Azusa shifted in the grass so that her legs were curled beneath her.

"Why do you care?" she said. Marie shot her a glare from the corner of her eye, but just as she was opening her mouth to speak, the sound of boots crunching across dirt and grass interrupted her. Whipping around swiftly so that some of her hair flew across her face, she burst into a smile.

"Stein!" she beamed. However, just as quickly as she had found her voice, it was gone once more as she pulled her hair away from her eyes and took in the appearance of the boy before her.

"Marie," he said curtly, his expression emotionless.

Spirit tilted his head from behind him. "How'd you get here? We were watching the school the whole time," he said.

Stein didn't even glance at him, but kept Marie's gaze in an almost unnerving way. "I climbed out the bathroom window and came around the back way so no one would see me," he explained. "I suppose you can assume why I wouldn't want most people to see me like this."

Marie gulped. "I guess…?" she said vaguely, still staring. Azusa elbowed her lightly, which jerked her gaze away from Stein. He said nothing else, and merely sat down right where he had been standing. The tense silence stretched on, until Kami was the first one to ask the question they were all thinking.

"Mind telling us why you're not wearing your shirt, Stein?"

Stein peered at her from between his ragged bangs. "I ripped a hole in my shirt," he said. "It was huge and glaringly obvious, and I didn't want to walk around like that."

Azusa raised an eyebrow. "So you just took it off?" she said, to which Stein nodded. He looked over at Marie once more, whose face reddened under his gaze.

"Would you mind sewing this?" Asked the grey-haired boy, handing her the shirt he had been carrying. Marie only nodded as she gently pulled the fabric from Stein's hand. Kami viewed him critically.

"Why can't you just sew it yourself?" she snapped. "There's no reason for you to force your chores on her."

"I really don't mind!" Marie said quickly and loudly. Stein ignored her and turned to face Kami.

"I have better things to do," he mumbled. "Sewing is a girls' job. Marie's the girliest girl I know," he said.

Kami's fists clenched at her sides. "Marie could also easily punch all your teeth out of your inconsiderate mouth," she spat. Stein kept her gaze, watching her curtly, while Spirit began to squirm at the rising tension between his friend and girlfriend. Without warning, the redhead stood up.

"Well that's nice!" he said, grabbing Stein's arm and trying to hoist him off his seat. "Marie'll take care of your shirt, so how about we head back to our dorm?"

Stein stubbornly kept himself soundly on the ground, and Spirit's erratic jerking of his arm didn't budge nor phase him. "But I just got here," he said, but his expression and voice were flat enough to give no obvious motivation to his protest. Spirit succeeded in dragging him a few inches before his meister simply stood. "I'm not walking home shirtless," he mumbled.

Spirit rolled his eyes. "Then take my shirt!" he said, already pulling the garment off himself. Stein narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not walking home with you when you're shirtless," he added. Spirit groaned.

"Fine. You take my shirt and go home. I'll leave in about ten minutes, so we're nowhere near each other," he said. "Deal?"

Stein nodded, pulling Spirit's band t-shirt over his head. It was baggy on him; Stein still hadn't hit his teenage growth spurt. "You have horrible taste in music," he said as a side note, looking down at the band logo. Spirit crossed his arms and huffed, but Stein paid no attention to him as he began walking out of the clearing. "Bye, Marie," he said as he left. The blonde's face had only just calmed down, but at his words it reddened again.

"Bye," she squeaked out.

No sooner was Stein out of earshot than Marie practically squealed.

"I was the only one he said bye to!" she exclaimed. Azusa grumbled something, but Marie was oblivious to her as she held the shirt before her face to investigate the damage. "Let's see what we have here… Oh."

Spirit tilted his head as he sat down beside Kami once more. "What's 'oh?'" he asked slowly. Marie merely turned the shirt around, revealing the gaping rip that took up the majority of the left bottom portion of Stein's shirt. Spirit's jaw dropped.

"How'd he manage that?" wondered Kami.

"A scalpel was probably involved," retorted Azusa.

Marie placed the shirt down in her lap. "That's not really the problem here," she giggled nervously. Azusa peered queerly at her, asking silently what was wrong. An awkward and embarrassed smile spread across the blonde's face.

"I have no idea how to sew," she announced sheepishly.

* * *

Stein's eyes were vacant and unfocused. His hands twitched in his lap, and his mind wandered in incomprehensible directions. His head was bleary; why had he risen from bed this morning? What was the point? Why was he sitting in that cold chair, seemingly surrounded by fitful sounds that he couldn't comprehend? The world was too confusing, he thought. He wondered why he kept going through it.

The abrupt halt of the coffee maker's grinding broke Stein back into the present, and the scent of the life-giving drink reached his senses. He took a deep breath, letting it bring understanding back to him. So that was it, he realized. He just didn't have his coffee yet.

As Stein pushed himself up from his chair, the noise of quickly pattering feet met his ears, and a hyperactive mass ran directly into his legs.

"Yay! Daddy's moving!" it cheered. Stein only released a yawn in reply, pulling the coffee pot out of the machine and pouring its contents into his mug. The parasite clinging to his legs cried, "Mommy, he's not drinking straight out of the pot again!"

"That's good!" called back a pleasant voice. The aroma of the coffee stirred something in Stein's mind, and he recognized the voice as that of his wife's.

"Last time you drank right out of the pot, you burned your lip, right?" the higher voice asked. Stein looked down at her and spotted olive-green eyes. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, frowning when he felt a small burn scar.

"No," he lied blatantly. The small human continued chattering, but the Stein ignored her as he lifted his mug to his lips.

It was as if his common sense was suddenly switched back on. His eyes shot open as the caffeine poured down his throat, rejuvenating his brain and welcoming him back to the waking world. He looked down at the girl at his feet once more, who stared back up at him with wide eyes.

"Mommy says that's not how coffee works on normal people," she said.

Stein yawned. "Well, it's how it works on your father, Shelley," he replied, gulping down more of the contents of his mug. "Why does Marie tell you these things anyway?"

His daughter shrugged. "She likes to tell me things about you when you haven't had your coffee and you don't know up from down," she said. Stein raised an eyebrow at her.

"Did Marie tell you that?" He asked. Shelley grinned.

"Nope. I made the up and down part up," she beamed at him. Stein only nodded, refilling his mug with the remainder of the pot's contents. He then walked back to his chair, Shelley trailing him.

"I already had my breakfast," she said as he pulled out his chair and sat down. Climbing in the chair beside him, she peered at her father with curious eyes. "Are you gonna get breakfast?"

Stein's Adam's apple bobbed as he downed his coffee with vigor. He exhaled sharply after pulling the mug away from his lips and giving himself a chance to breathe. "This is my breakfast," he replied with little more than a glance at his daughter before be continued to drink his entirely black coffee.

"Franken, put the mug down and breathe," Sighed Marie as she walked into the kitchen. Stein glanced at her as he set his cup on the table again.

"Good morning to you too," he said flatly. His wife sighed and seated herself on the other side of him.

"One of these days I'm going to convince you to eat an actual breakfast," she muttered.

Stein frowned when he discovered that his cup was empty again. "I only need coffee," he replied. A quick glance at Marie showed that she was wearing her day clothes, as opposed to Stein, who still sat in lounge pants and an undershirt with holes. "Why are you already dressed? It's only eight a.m. on a Saturday," he said.

Marie began to smile at him, chuckling a little. "Stein, it's ten in the morning, and today's Sunday."

Shelley nodded. "You're _really_ confused, Daddy," she said. "You stared at the wall for a while and just sat there until Mommy started making your coffee."

Marie reached over, setting her hand on Stein's forehead. He leaned into her touch slightly, but he almost fell forward when she took her hand back. "You're a bit warm," she murmured. "That's the last time I let you try to pull an all-nighter after training all day."

Stein didn't reply, but instead let his fingers probe for Marie's hand under the table. Upon finding her palm once more, he locked their hands together tightly, sending a blush onto his weapon's cheeks. "I'm fine, I promise," he said, tugging her softly towards him. When he kissed her lightly, he noticed Shelley stick out her tongue from the corner of his vision. He ignored her for a moment, and Marie distractedly pressed their lips tighter together, but something he suddenly noticed about his daughter's clothing caused him to pull away from her. He hadn't seen that white shirt in years.

"Is that my shirt?" he wondered out loud, staring Shelley's outfit.

She blinked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Stein looked down towards Marie, who smiled again.

"Oh, yeah," she said sheepishly, red embarrassment creeping across her face. "I never did sew it back when we were kids, but I kept it," she laughed nervously. "When I was going through old boxes the other day, I noticed that it looked like it might fit Shelley, so I finally fixed it."

Stein glanced at Shelley once more. The white button-up shirt was much too big for her; the sleeves entirely covered her tiny hands, and the bottom hem ended halfway down her thigh. She beamed at him.

"It fits great!" she smiled.

Stein sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe you kept it," he told Marie. He directed his gaze towards her when she leaned her weight against him.

"Why wouldn't I?" she smiled. "It was one of the first things you gave me. Besides, I finish what I start."

Stein chuckled a little. "Almost two decades later," he said. Marie huffed and slapped his arm a little, which hurt a lot more than she thought it did and only added to the growing bruise in that area, but he took the blow and wrapped his aching arm around her soundly.

Shelley watched them warily. "You're not gonna kiss again, are you?" she whined.

Her parents immediately shared scheming glances, and with a smirk, Stein leaned down and captured Marie's lips again amid Shelley's cries of disgust.


	17. Music

**Based on a prompt I received from tumblr. Thanks, thescentedcamelias!**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 18: Music**

* * *

Soul ran a hand through his hair while he sat on the couch across from Maka, exhaling a sigh. He wasn't even sure she'd like it. It seemed cheesy, now that he thought about it. But it had been expensive, and he had already placed the small, wrapped birthday present in his meister's hands.

Maka had already received her generic gift from him: a simple DWMA shirt with her graduating year printed on it, which he had given to her during her party earlier. But his other gift had been made for her personally, and he wanted to wait to give it to her until the other guests had left.

The dim light from the side table lamp lit the living room with a warm glow, one that thankfully didn't spread to the floor to display the array of trash their guests had left. Soul watched anxiously as Maka pulled the green ribbon off the package, delicately tore the wrapping from it, and with a bit of confusion evident on her face, drew the miniature baby grand piano out from the red box.

"It's a music box," Soul said hastily, pulling his gaze from hers and down to the trinket. "Open the top and turn the key on the side."

Maka smiled a little, easing some of Soul's apprehension. "Impatient, Soul?" she asked. Her weapon glanced up at her and offered a meager grin in return.

"I just want to know if you'll like the song," he mumbled slightly.

His meister slowly ran her fingers over the shining lid. "Well, it looks pretty," she said. "I like it already."

Soul crossed his arms over his chest. "You're dragging this out," he huffed. Maka shrugged, but her playful smirk hinted that she knew exactly what she was doing as she opened the box and wound it gradually.

A tinkling melody began to waft through the room as soon as she removed her hand from the key, and Soul watched eagerly as Maka's eyes widened.

"This is…"

"Our song," murmured Soul softly. "The one I play when we Resonate."

Maka stared silently at the small piano in her hands, while the song carried through the air between them. Soul watched her, frowning a little. Did she not like it? Was that horror causing her mouth to hang open?

"I love it."

Soul blinked, his own jaw falling slack. "Really?" he breathed. "It's not too cheesy? Or uncool?"

Maka shook her head, leaning over to peck his lips once. "It's perfect," she beamed, leaving Soul's face to burn as red as his eyes. He grinned, releasing a small, relieved chuckle.

"Happy Birthday."


	18. The Blood Maiden

**This is the compilation of all my entries for Crona Week 2016. The name could either refer to Crona or Medusa. *I disclaim,* I don't own Soul Eater or Avatar.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 19: The Blood Maiden**

* * *

Goosebumps formed on my arms, causing them to shake slightly, but my concentration didn't waver. I focused on the ripples in the water, and moved my fingers to alter their paths.

Casting a side glance towards my mother, my shoulders relaxed slightly when I noticed that she remained with her back to me, picking fruit grumpily from the orchard trees. She hated labor, and she would rather I do all the work for her. But I couldn't reach the ripe fruit even with our stepladder, so she begrudgingly gathered food for us.

I did most of the other work, even though I was young at the time. I never knew quite how old I was, as Medusa never celebrated my birthday, but I think I was between five and seven. My tiny hands cleaned every surface in our home, made the beds to perfection, and prepared most of our food.

But I never wanted Medusa to know what I did when she had her back to me. She would take all the fun out of it and attempt to use it. She'd try to make it hers. The movements I made with my fingers and hands, the way the water of the creek would shape itself to my will.

I never wanted her to see me Bend.

I knew Medusa couldn't Bend; she complained near constantly to me how much she wanted to be a Bender. The very thought of my mother having control over an element was enough to give me nightmares.

Yet somehow, I had been born with the ability to Bend. It seemed strange to be born a Waterbender in the Fire Nation, and I thought that perhaps my father had been a visiting member from one of the Water Tribes. But Medusa never mentioned him, so I couldn't know for certain.

Wherever it came from, Bending was my gift, my special talent. I did it in secret to keep it that way. I took comfort in it, in the fact that I had something that was all my own. I never wanted to share it with Medusa.

Noticing a small fish swimming with the current, I picked up a sphere of water and surrounded it. It lifted into the air, safely encased in the water, and I smiled. Its shimmering red scales contrasted with the gloom and dull colors of the surrounding land in our corner of the Fire Nation. It swam in small circles in its little ball, which I held suspended in the air a few inches from my face. With round eyes the fish peered at me, while its little mouth opened and closed almost quizzically.

"Crona!"

I gasped, and my focus broke. The water I held fell downward into the stream, splashing me, and the little red fish panicked and swum off quickly. I wanted to tell it to stay, but Medusa grabbed my bare arm and hoisted me to my feet.

"I called your name," she said sharply, but instead of reprimanding like she would normally if I didn't respond to her, she grabbed my hands. Her golden eyes stared at my small, dirty palms with an emotion I couldn't read. "What were you doing just now?"

I gulped. "M-making the water move," I whimpered.

Medusa's thumbs traced across my fingers. "Bending," she whispered, half to herself.

I wanted to hide. I wanted to run. I wanted her to forget she had ever seen me Bending, but I couldn't do any of that. All I could do was follow after my mother as she stood, pulling me back towards the sorry hut we called our house.

* * *

Medusa got scrolls for me. I'm not completely sure how she got them, but we didn't have much money, so I suspected that she had probably stolen them. The rolled-up papers contained positions and aspects of Waterbending, and she demanded that I study the material meticulously every day.

She provided me a bucket of water to practice on, which was in no way as fun or interesting as Bending in the creek. But I practiced anyway, in fear of what Medusa would do to me if I didn't show constant improvement.

I had been working under her supervision for a year when my training, and my Bending itself, took a turn for the worse.

Medusa crouched down next to me while I leaned over the bucket. I shifted my stance as my palms flattened, lifting the bucket's entire contents into the air to flow in a stream over our heads. It whirled around the room for a moment, before I caused it to float above the bucket, dripping down back into it like rain.

"Excellent," purred Medusa, reaching for my hand once I was done. I let her do so, not paying much attention to her and turning the bucket water into a small whirlpool with my other fingers.

I cried out suddenly when swift, blazing pain flashed across my palm. Whipping around to Medusa, I wrenched my hand away from hers reflexively, while she didn't seem the slightest bit concerned for me as she set the bloodied knife on the floor beside her.

"Now that you're bleeding," she said, as if she had just pointed out that my eyes were blue, "What can you tell me about your blood?"

I shook with fear and pain, daring to gaze down at the ugly red gash in my skin. Crimson blood oozed from it, dripping from my hand onto our dirt floor, trickling between the lines in my palm like miniature red rivers.

"It's… red?" I said softly, and my voice wavered. Medusa gave me a hard look.

"What else?" she snapped in a tone that told me I'd get punished if I gave her another wrong answer.

I gulped and searched my mind quickly. All I could think to say were obvious observations, so I simply shook my head and squeezed my eyes tight. I could almost feel my mother's disapproval chilling me like harsh snow.

"It's _liquid_, Crona," she spat. I opened my eyes slowly, but simply watched Medusa's hands, not daring to meet her certainly perturbed gaze. "What else is liquid?"

This I knew. "Water." I spoke quietly, hoarsely, but then I cleared my throat and repeated, "Water is liquid."

My mother's tense hands relaxed in her lap. "Very good, Crona," she said, and I could hear some of the irritation fade from her voice. "And you can bend water. So do you think…" She scooted closer, bringing a hand under my chin to look her in the eye. She had on that false look of pleading, as if she was simply asking a question and not poorly disguising a demand. "Do you think you could try and bend your blood for me? Just a little."

I stared into her golden, snake-like irises. Her pupils, dark and small, reflected back to me the image of a malnourished and shaking child. I nodded, and the reflection nodded back while I did as I was told. Slowly, I moved my other hand over my bleeding palm, not close enough to touch. I could feel the blood, however, like I could feel water. I was able to sense its energy, energy that I could release and manipulate.

I easily lifted beads of blood from my hand and twirled them around. I then formed them into a small stream, which weaved in-between the heads of Medusa and me in a figure eight before dropping into my water bucket. The droplets fell with a small _plop_, creating thin red patterns that bloomed into swirls in the formerly clear water.

When I turned back to my mother, I discovered that her face showed the closest thing to approval that I had ever seen cross her features.

"That's wonderful, dear," she grinned, ruffling my hair slightly. She only called me that when she tried to butter me up. Unfortunately, I liked the sound it made when it rolled off her tongue, and I always found myself falling for her charm. "Now, you keep working on your Bending. See if you can get the bleeding to stop while I make dinner."

My face lit up as Medusa stood. "You're making dinner?" I asked incredulously. She nodded, smiling pleasantly at me as she walked into the next room.

"Of course. Anything for my little Bloodbender," she said.

I froze. Without warning, when Medusa uttered the new word, all my cheerfulness and excitement left me to be replaced by inexplicable horror. And despite the warm supper Medusa fed me, that haunting term sent chills down my spine for the rest of the evening.

Bloodbender. I already loathed it.

* * *

Whenever I would successfully Bloodbend, Medusa would cook for me. Everything she made was delicious: Steaming bean soup that burnt my tongue with every first sip, dumplings that burst with vegetable flavor whenever my teeth bit into them, fresh fruit filled with delicious juice, and tart pie for dessert, which was always baked to saccharine perfection with a flaky crust.

Although, if I did something wrong, she withheld food from me until I got it right. The first time that happened, Medusa had been trying to teach me to Bend blood inside a living creature. She had presented me with an elephant rat to try my skills, but I refused. For punishment, she withheld meals from me until I agreed to Bloodbend.

Though I was weak from malnourishment, I discovered the next morning that I could manipulate the elephant rat's blood and control its movements. With a tense stance, I caused it to stand on its hind legs before it fell over backwards. Medusa rewarded me with an entire meal of dessert and sugary foods.

I hated that lifestyle. The uncertainty of meals and Medusa's physical abuse degraded my very sanity, and I progressed slowly. Eventually I could manipulate blood enough to get the rats crawling across the floor without their consent. But that was after years of practice, and Medusa continuously grew more cruel and bloodthirsty as time progressed.

The breaking point occurred when Zuko was crowned Fire Lord.

The day Medusa received the news, my training became more rigorous and difficult. My muscles and stomach ached from my mother's stern drills, and I could tell that a change had come over her. She no longer smiled and rewarded me for my progress. Instead, she threatened me, abandoning her sugary façade, swearing that I'd have no food or water at all until I did as I was told and did it right. There were some days that I thought I was going to die from her treatment of me.

Months later, Medusa instructed me to kill an elephant rat with Bloodbending. Foolish enough to have a conscience in front of my mother, I hesitated, resulting in her grabbing my shoulders and whirling me around to face her. I had reached her height, and her cold eyes were completely level with my frightened irises.

"You _will_ kill it," she practically snarled. "You will kill that rat. And you'll kill more. You'll kill anyone I tell you to kill."

My rising fear froze me to the spot as Medusa kept going.

"You're going to get me on that throne, Crona. And if anyone gets in my way, you'll cause them to choke on their own blood," she said, in a voice so cold and emotionless that my body rattled with terror. I attempted to back away from her, but her icy hands grasped my thin shoulders like talons. "Zuko is a pathetic little brat with no honor. I refuse to let anyone sit on that throne besides me, especially the scarred prince."

All I could do was nod and hope she'd let me go. When she did, bringing her arms to her side, I backed away slowly. Her eyes remained cold, her stance almost placid as a single hand rested on her hip, the other hanging downward. I hated how she'd do that: how she acted nonplussed constantly, even when I could hear the murder on her tongue and sense the wrath in her blood.

"Now," she spoke calmly, her tone like frozen venom as she pointed once more at the elephant rat in its small cage. "Kill it."

I had no choice. I settled my stance and closed my eyes, concentrating on the water I could feel in that warm body. To be honest, I somewhat liked the energy I could feel from blood. All those tiny river-like veins, contained in one creature, holding so much power over its life. I balled one fist, holding it at my side, while my other arm extended with my hand in a dragon claw. I took a deep breath in through my nose, and then exhaled it slowly through my mouth. Calm was imperative if I was to carry out my Bending.

My eyes abruptly snapped open. My open hand tightened into a fist and jerked down to my side, while my other hand flew in front of me in an open-air punch. Years of practice paid off, and my Bloodbending worked perfectly.

Medusa's head slammed into the wall, knocking her unconscious. She slid to the ground, her eyes rolling back into her skull, blood beginning to drip from a wound on her head, though her chest still rose and fell with breath. But I had no time to think about what I had done. I swiftly released the elephant rat from its cage before scrambling to the cupboard to grab two buns, which I stuffed in my pockets. I had no belongings worth taking with me, so I merely dashed out the door and into the thick woods.

I ran until I collapsed, completely out of breath, beneath a cover of bushes. My lungs heaved and ached, while my heart beat so rapidly that my head throbbed and my vision blurred.

The reality of what I had done struck me then, and I tried to keep from crying out in fear and pain. Afraid of Medusa and her plans, I had turned my bending on her instead of the rat. But I could only be so brave. I had let her live, and now she'd be looking for me.

And I knew full well that she'd kill me if she found me.

As soon as I regained my breath, I was on the run again. I moved more slowly, however, still exhausted and growing ever more tired as the sun sank behind the treetops and my trek continued on into the darkness of night.

Despite the fatigue that threatened to slow me, my entire body stayed constantly on edge. Every leaf rusting in the wind, every croak of a badgerfrog, every snap of a branch beneath an aardvark sloth's clawed foot started me, keeping my senses on high alert. Every one of those sounds could've been Medusa, coming for me. She'd likely bring her sword and her bow; her swordsmanship was unparalleled, and her proficiency with arrows would've probably landed her a spot with the Yuyan Archers if she had wanted.

I pulled one of the buns from my pocket, hoping that its tasteless crumbs would restore some of my energy. So why did she want me to kill for her, I wondered, if she was perfectly capable of wiping out the Fire Lord by herself?

I gulped down a mouthful of bread, nearly choking myself as I ran steadily around bushes and roots. I already knew the answer. I was an experiment, to see how she could use me. I was little more than a tool, and she didn't care if I was caught and killed. She might be upset in the way she would be irritated if her sword was broken, but not like she should be over the loss of her child. She'd find something else to use. Another skill, another blade, another pawn. But if my mother could help it, she wanted the blood on someone else's hands.

Faint lights shone through the forest, and I found myself moving faster. Medusa had never brought me to the port village, having forced me to stay at home, but she went there at least once a month to collect food and supplies that we didn't have on our small farm.

I slipped through the tree line to the town's outskirts. A few citizens still walked in the streets under the lamplight, but the cobblestone sat mostly deserted in the final hours of the day. The marketplace lay dormant as I walked through the quiet stalls, and I wrapped my arms around my hunched shoulders.

The unfamiliar roar of the ocean grew louder the further I walked. When I could finally see the dark water glinting beneath the moonlight, my feetp stopped completely dead in their tracks.

Though our island was small, Medusa had never allowed me to leave our home to see anything beyond our dreary fields and the nearby stony mountains. I had never been close enough to the coast to hear the ocean or feel its energy. But at that moment, I could sense the immeasurable potential of the sea. Like a cacophony of sound and movement, it pulled at my veins and drew me towards it, while simultaneously paralyzing me with its sheer size and power.

After staring for not nearly as long as I wanted to, I forced myself to travel forward. The sea was my ticket to escape from this island, but if I was going to make it away from Medusa, I needed to move fast.

Various boats sat in the harbor; vessels in all sorts of materials and shapes, decorated with different colors and emblems. I made my way towards the largest one, a wooden trade boat, despite the guilt that rose up in my throat as I checked to make sure no one was watching my actions. I had to do this. I had to get away, I told myself over and over. No matter what, I couldn't let her find me.

At my first step onto the flimsy-looking gangplank, it creaked and bent beneath my meager weight. I gasped, terrified that I could be heard, and set my other foot down more slowly. When it creaked even louder, I jumped a little and frantically skittered up to the ship amidst a chorus of squeaks and groans from the gangplank.

Once I made it on deck, l stopped for a moment and leaned against the ship's side as I let my breath catch up with me. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, sending frightened shaking into my hands, even as I gripped the wood I leaned against. But I brought my fists to my sides and clenched them, trying to steel my nerves as I crept towards the large trapdoors that led to the cargo hold.

The doors were heavy, but I managed to get them open and close them tightly behind me as soon as I began to crawl down the stairs. I felt my way in the dark, bumping into boxes, stumbling over bags. Groping blindly, I finally felt piles of sacks that seemed comfortable enough. I laid down on them, shivering slightly in the cold, but comforted by the proximity of the ocean. Despite never having been on a ship before, I had no trouble balancing myself with the hull's swaying motion. I wondered if perhaps that was because I was in tune with the energy of the water, so I adjusted to the tossing movement of the sea and allowed it to rock me to sleep.

* * *

When I awoke the next morning, bright sunlight shone directly down on me from between the cracks in the deck above me. The sounds of the sea had grown stronger, and I could hear faint voices and footsteps as my eyelids fluttered.

I yawned and stretched a little, though my back ached when I arched it. My stomach growled slightly before I pulled the last bun from my pocket. The small loaf had been flattened, presumably when I rolled onto my side in my sleep, but its dull taste remained unaffected. I only planned to eat half of it, not sure how long I'd have to hold out on food before the ship docked again.

Upon my first bite of the dry bun, its crumbs practically burned my parched throat. I coughed a little after swallowing, and felt my lips with my tongue only to realize how dry they were. I needed water.

For a moment I wondered to myself if I could use bending to sieve the salt out of ocean water, but before I could try anything, I heard the hold's doors slam open.

"Maka, we haven't even left the dock yet!" A voice called, followed by the sound of feet climbing down the stairs. I quickly moved to hide behind a stack of bags, my eyes wide and my knees shaking. I couldn't let them find me.

"I don't care; I'm not going out on that ocean again without those herbs!" A woman's voice called back. Another pair of footsteps, heavier ones, trailed behind her.

"We're going to run out before we get halfway there if you keep taking those things. Your seasickness can't be _that_ bad," the other voice replied.

The woman huffed, and I curled up tighter as I heard their sounds draw nearer. "You're used to traveling by boat, Soul. Try being an Earthbender who's lived in the mountains her whole life. I hate not feeling earth."

I relaxed a little bit. I understood how she felt; now that I had been near the ocean, I never wanted to leave it again.

I was broken out of my thoughts and sympathies when the large bag that my head had been against was abruptly pulled out from behind me, shocking me and pulling a scream from my mouth. I turned around sharply, Bending quickly, throwing my hand out in front of me to hold the woman in place.

Heart racing in panic, I examined her. Her build was small, but muscular, clothed with a dull green-and-brown tunic, trousers, and boots that revealed her Earth Kingdom nationality. Two bright green ribbons tied her blonde hair into pigtails, while her expression and jade eyes seemed shocked and terrified.

"Don't move!" I cried, shaking with fear and the effort it took to hold still an entire, struggling human. I knew full well that she couldn't move under my grip, but I spat out the first words that came to mind. "Move and I'll… I'll break your arm!" I added.

"Maka?!" The man's voice called, the sound of his footfalls developing into a run. I saw him as he turned a corner around crates: brown, red, and orange curved armor, white hair, and crimson, panicked irises. A Fire Nation soldier. I watched as the terror in his eyes morphed into rage.

"Let her go," he growled, his fists clenching at his sides. They burst into flames suddenly, and I cried out in fear. "I said," he spoke, louder, "Let her go! Now!"

I threw my other arm out towards him, attempting to hold him in place, but the strain from keeping Maka still only allowed me to hold on to Soul's legs. He seemed stunned for a moment, struggling to move his legs, before he raised his arm as if to hurl his fire at me.

"Soul, don't!" shouted Maka. "You'll burn this whole ship down!"

The Firebender seethed a little, but extinguished his flames. The woman turned her head to me, the only part of her body that I had left mobile, and watched me closely.

"Hello," she spoke slowly. "I don't know how you're keeping us from moving, but you need to let us go now."

I shook my head rapidly. "I can't," I stammered. "If I let you go, you'll get me kicked off this ship. I need to stay here."

Maka frowned. "Why is that?"

Soul huffed. "Hurry it up; my legs are starting to go numb."

Maka shot him a small glare, but I eased my Bending to allow more blood to flow.

"If it's that important, I can try my best to convince the Captain to let you stay," she replied, turning her attention back to me, "But I can only do that if you let me go. Okay?"

I hesitated. I didn't know if I could trust her, and I doubted I would be able to rely on the Firebender. However, I was too weak to hold them for long. I sighed, dropping my arms and releasing them. Both stumbled forward with their sudden return of mobility, but they picked themselves up.

"Thank you," spoke the blonde, finally setting her suitcase down. I backed away from them, but I couldn't go very far before the side of the ship blocked my retreat. Maka approached me, holding her arm out, and I squeezed my eyes shut. An outstretched arm could do anything: hit me, slap me, grab me. I flattened myself against the hull, drying to delay contact with her for as long as possible.

"Are you okay?"

I blinked, opening a single eye to look at her. Strangely, the woman appeared concerned. Her hand had been pulled closer to her body, with her palm turned sideways. When I said nothing, she frowned again.

"What's your name?" she asked a simpler question.

I gulped. "Cr… Crona," I forced out.

Maka came closer. "Well, Crona, I'm Maka. The hothead over there is Soul," she explained.

"I'm not a hothead," grumbled Soul.

"And we're not going to hurt you," Maka continued, ignoring him. "I promise."

I remained silent, but I unstuck myself from the wall. My eyes traveled towards my shoes, while one palm moved to rub against my other arm.

"Are you hungry or thirsty? I made some breakfast earlier," the blonde said. I picked my head up, nodding slowly. Maka smiled a little at me.

"Come on upstairs, then. It should still be warm."

I nodded again, tailing her tentatively with small steps.

"Kid?" Maka called, stepping into the small galley. I couldn't see who she was talking to, while Soul closed the doors to the cargo hold behind us and brought up the rear. I heard the blonde sigh. "For the spirits' sake, Kid, what are you doing?"

"My breakfast has to be arranged perfectly symmetrically on my plate before I eat it," A man's voice protested irritably. Maka sighed as I crept up behind her.

"It's going to get cold before you eat it," she said. Flicking her eyes back towards me, she cleared her throat. "Kid, we have another passenger."

I poked my head inside the galley, seeing a small table and stove, with a few bags and barrels of food supplies, while a pet lop-eared rabbit sat in a cage on the adjacent wall. At the table sat a black-haired man, who muttered to himself with his back to us, wearing large, black and white robes.

Maka crossed her arms over her chest. "Kid," she said sharply. "You'll let Crona stay on this ship. Is that clear?"

Kid turned his head towards Maka suddenly, allowing me to catch sight of his eyes, which were the color of molten gold. I stared at them, both unnerved and captivated by their color.

"Maka, I am the captain of this ship, and I get to decide who stays and who goes," he said sternly, and the blonde looked as if she was ready to shout at him before Kid fixed me in his gaze. I jumped back a little, but knocked directly into Soul. "I assume you're Crona," continued Kid. I nodded hesitantly.

"I don't think we can trust Crona," muttered Soul. I instantly wrapped my arms around myself and curled up slightly, as if trying to appear as small as possible. I jumped again when Kid put his hand on my shoulder.

"There's always room on my ship for those who are willing to help with it. Can you work?" he said.

I lifted my head. "Yes, sir," I said quickly. Kid chuckled a little, removing his hand. The touch had felt gentle, warm. I was unused to it. Though I was pretty sure that I wouldn't mind having more of it.

"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Crona," he said. "It's just 'Kid.'"

Without warning, he threw his arms wide, startling me.

"Kid the world-renowned trader and barterer of the finest aesthetic goods!" he declared proudly. "Earthenware from the Earth Kingdom! Jade from the Fire Nation! And only the best bone carvings from the Water Tribes!"

"In other words: he sells trinkets, statues, and pointless things to hang on your wall," smirked Soul.

Kid looked taken aback. "I do not!" he proclaimed. "I sell the finest in decoration and collectibles!"

"You sell overpriced bric-a-brac," retorted the Firebender.

While Soul and Kid bickered in the background, Maka led me over to the stove. "There's a little bit of breakfast left over. We have a few rolls, honey to put on them, and some mangoes. Oh, and we've got milk to drink. How does that sound?"

A smile made its way across my lips, and my stomach growled eagerly as eyed the offered food. "Yes, please," I said.

The breakfast tasted delicious. I had never had milk before; Medusa had always served me water. Milk was thicker, richer. I liked it.

Maka watched me with a smile, but after Soul and Kid settled down, she addressed the latter seriously. "Kid," she said, "Crona did something odd earlier, below deck. I was wondering if you could possibly explain it to us."

I nearly chocked on my food. Kid's brow furrowed.

"Go on."

I began to panic. I had already revealed to two people that I could Bloodbend; I didn't need a third knowing of my ability.

Maka seemed to notice my distress. "Crona, would you like to tell me yourself what happened?" she said.

My hands practically vibrated, so I sat on them and shook my head rapidly. Hopefully, Kid wouldn't be able to figure out what I had done.

"I think Crona may have used some sort of Bending on us," Maka said. "We couldn't move. We were kept in place, like our bodies were being controlled."

Kid appeared puzzled for a moment, but then his jaw slacked and hung open in shock. He turned swiftly to stare at me, and I felt as if I wanted the chair I sat in to swallow me up.

"You can Bloodbend?" he breathed.

Maka looked puzzled. "Bloondbend?" she parroted. Kid nodded.

"It's a developing subskill of Waterbending. I've only heard of two people that were ever able to do it: a criminal Waterbender, and the Avatar's partner," he explained. "Did you learn from either of them?"

I shook my head. "My mother taught me," I murmured. Kid cast a side glance at the rabbit in the cage.

"Could you Bloodbend the rabbit for us?" he asked. Soul slammed a hand down on the table.

"You can't tell Crona to hurt Blair!" he shouted.

Maka shrugged. "I never liked that rabbit. You didn't need to bring it along, you know."

Soul fixed the Earthbender in a glare. "I saved her from being gorilla goat food!" he said. "She's my responsibility!"

Blair let out a small choking sound as I stood her on her hind legs by merely raising my arm.

"Blair!" Soul cried, startling me into abruptly letting go of the rabbit. It flopped back down into its cage, and the white-haired man rushed over to his pet.

"That's…" Kid trailed off, eying me with emotions on his face that I couldn't read. "… That's actually very fascinating, Crona."

Soul cradled the bunny in his arms. "It's not fascinating," he mumbled. Kid ignored him, and I heard the trader shift in his seat.

"You said your mother taught you. Is she a Waterbender?"

My gaze traveled upwards once more, catching a glimpse of Kid's golden eyes beneath his ebony fringe. I said quietly, "No, she's…"

I cut myself off quickly. From behind Kid, I could barely see her, standing nearly as still as a statue, pulling back her arrow to fire. My breath hitched in my throat, and without thinking I lunged forward across the table. Kid yelped as I knocked him to the ground, his chair slamming into the floor. The arrow whistled in the air above us before burying itself in the wall, directly level with where Kid's head had been a fraction of a second ago.

"Crona, what-!" he exclaimed, but my eyes were focused on the figure behind him. She glared at me as she loaded her bow a second time.

"She's here," I breathed.

I stood up from the floor. That familiar frightened shaking feeling crept up my legs and arms, but I struggled to keep it from showing. I kept silent even though I wanted to speak, to demand that Medusa leave and never come back. If I opened my mouth I was sure that I'd only be able to scream.

"There you are," she growled, pointing her arrow at me. I didn't move. "Do you realize how much of a pain it was to find you? Do you know how much my head still hurts?" she snapped at me. I could see the dried blood on her face and in her hair; she hadn't even stopped to clean herself off. "Lucky for me, you don't know the first thing about running away. Step one: Actually kill your mother."

She began walking forward, still holding out her arrow.

"Step two: Make yourself hard to track."

Kid had picked himself up, but all three of my companions stayed silent.

"Step three: Get a rowboat if you have to, but get away from that cursed island as fast as you possibly can," Medusa said. She smirked slowly as she pointed her arrow directly at my heart. "It worked for me."

I raised my arm swiftly, causing Medusa's arms to point directly upward and fire into the sky. I then set both palms in front of me, pushing her to the floor slowly. I could feel her resisting me, but I almost became too scared to continue bending when she started laughing.

"Good, Crona," she grinned as her arms hung by her sides and her knees folded beneath her. "It looks like I've taught you well."

I froze. This was what she wanted, I realized. She wanted this all along, for me to use my Bloodbending to control others. I was satisfying her.

I released my hold suddenly, and took a step back. An unfamiliar emotion pricked at me, flowing down into my hands and clenching them into fists, and then it moved towards my eyes to harden my sight into a glare.

Medusa stood, matching my hard stare. "Well, Crona?" she said, her hand settling on the sword at her side.

I spread my arms wide. The ocean's energy practically beckoned me, begging me to feel its power in my hands.

I obeyed.

I hurled the water at Medusa. It was liberating, having formerly been focused on precise amounts of water like blood veins and buckets, to feel the size and potential of the ocean and manipulate it.

With more than a little bit of satisfaction, I watched as Medusa's expression suddenly became one of panic as saltwater enveloped her. I wondered if she had thought that I could ever be strong enough to overpower her. Yet there she writhed, struggling under my Bending, bested by the weapon she had so painstakingly forged.

I dropped her before she lost consciousness, and Medusa fell to the floor, panting. Maka and Soul rushed forward at that moment, grabbing her sword from her. They held her hands behind her back while hoisting her to her feet. My mother picked her dripping head up to glare at me, seething at first, but she quickly wiped the emotion from her face, masking it with false sorrow.

"Crona, you wouldn't do this to your mother," she crooned, gazing at me. When my stone face didn't waver, she went on. "Please, dear. You know I love you."

Something in me snapped. At that small comment, I wanted her dead. I wanted her drowned. I wanted her blood spilling out onto the deck, and I wanted to beat her corpse with it.

Instead, I ground my teeth, turning my back to her. If I saw that look on her face one more time, I'd want to crush it.

"No," I spat, finally letting the shaking control my body. "I know that you never did."

She said more, her voice devolving into screams as Soul and Maka carried her back into the town, but I paid no attention to her. I assumed that she'd probably be imprisoned for her abuse and attempted murder, but I wanted nothing more to do with her.

My knees suddenly gave out from under me. I fell to the deck, chest heaving, everything shaking, my hands moving to cover my face. I felt Kid's arms wrap around my shoulders as the tears began slipping from my eyes and my mouth opened to release silent sobs.

I couldn't believe anything about what had just happened. Couldn't comprehend that Medusa was gone for good. Couldn't understand how I had been so ready to kill. The only things I could comprehend were Kid's arms around me.

As I cried for every reason and no reason, I was glad that I had that to latch onto.

* * *

Kid's ship sailed smoothly to Capital City, were he sold some of his wares and dropped off Maka and Soul. Soul confessed to me that he wanted to propose to Maka, but he wanted his grandmother who lived in the Capital to meet her first. They said that they could find their own way back to the Earth Kingdom.

I'm happy for them. Marriage between the different cultures was unheard of during the war, but I think Soul and Maka will be some of the first to take that step into unity between the nations.

Medusa was sentenced to life in prison for her actions. Sometimes, a small part of me hopes that she never sees the sun in her cell. Other times, I'm almost sorry for her.

Almost.

I opted to stay with Kid. I've never felt more at home than I do when I'm on the ocean and with him. He makes me feel welcome, and I've learned to cook for him a little. He plans to visit the Northern Water Tribe soon, so maybe I can meet some other Waterbenders.

But I'm not just a Waterbender. I'm not just a Bloodbender, or just my mother's weapon. I am strong. I am a friend. I am loved.

I am Crona.


	19. Electricity

**Day 6 of SteinMarie week.**

**Of Monsters and Demons**

**Chapter 20: Electricity**

* * *

_Description: Stein's a former soldier of the Fire Nation, locked away for being a madman. Marie, being one of the new known Lightningbenders, is volunteered to help Stein learn focus and control through the painstaking process of teaching him to Lightningbend._

* * *

_Day One_

Her boots made muffled thumps against the stone floor as she walked forward, and small torches illuminated the walls and nearly empty hallway, guiding her way like wraiths to the door at the end of the path. No sound emerged from behind the iron portal, though the scent of smoke only grew heavier as she drew nearer to the solitary cell.

If she was honest with herself, she couldn't quite remember if she had signed up for this or if someone else had volunteered her. Either way, she was their only option, she thought with a sigh. That much was apparent when Azusa had told her the extent of what she'd be facing.

Stein was a madman, she had said. He had been a great soldier before becoming the former warden of this prison, but his experiences in the war had messed with his mind and led him to begin dissecting his prisoners. This caused him to be locked in the most high-security cell in his own jail, and Azusa had assumed his position as warden.

"But apparently Fire Lord Zuko's big on second chances, so he ordered that we try to bring Stein back to his senses," she had said with a sigh. "We've tried everything, though. Doctors, shamen, even Lord Zuko himself," she muttered. "Nothing worked. He nearly gave the Fire Lord another scar." Her gaze then turned to Marie, concern mingling with anger as she looked upon her friend. "I don't like that you're doing this, Marie. That man can kill you."

Marie had reassured her confidently, saying that she had conquered much more difficult tasks, and she wasn't swayed no matter how much her friend argued. She almost wished she had listened to her.

Her footsteps continued to slow as she made her way up to the door, until they stopped directly before the cold iron. After a moment's hesitation, she knocked, the clangs produced by her actions echoing through the hallway.

"Mr. Stein? Sir?" she said loudly, in case he was asleep, "Are you in there?

A puff of smoke expelled from the room, escaping through the small window in the door and blowing into Marie's face, causing her to cough slightly.

"Who wants to know?" Replied a low, sullen voice.

Waving away the smoke, Marie cleared her throat. "Marie Mjolnir," she spoke with another cough. "Your new assistant."

Chains rattled and clanked within the cell, indicating their owner's movements. "Assistant?" the voice continued. "That's new. Not a doctor, not a guru, not an acupuncturist?"

"No, sir," the blonde answered. "Just assistant."

When Stein said nothing, Marie proceeded to fish the key out of her pocket. She pushed the key into the large padlock and turned it once to open it, before moving the door inward and stepping inside the cell.

The square room was immense compared to the meager amount of furnishing that was in it. A cot was bolted to the floor on the far side, a small table and stool against the wall to her left, and a single wooden door on the right wall led to what she assumed to be a toilet. Moonlight flowed down through the tower's tall roof, barely reaching the unexpected form that laid upon the cold stone floor in the direct center of the room.

When they had told Marie that she was to be assisting a madman, she had expected someone thin, frail, and frantic, their body and mind worn away together. But the man in front of her was by no means frail; his entire body seemed well-toned, and his exposed chest revealed sinewy muscles that rose and fell with slow, steady breaths.

"Come in," he abruptly spoke, causing Marie to jump. "Don't stand there with the door hanging open; I might escape," he drawled. It almost sounded as if he was trying to joke, but the emotionless tone of his voice extinguished the fake, nervous laugh that Marie had been preparing in the back of her throat. Instead, she gulped slightly as she swung the door closed behind her. Excellent, she thought; she was to be shut in a room for an hour each day with a madman that could easily knock her out whenever she was distracted by his body, face, voice, and just general attractiveness.

Something about this job was going to kill her, either Stein's face or his fire. She wondered if she could ask Azusa to feed her pet sparrowkeet after her inevitable death.

Stein brought her back to reality when he sat up. "So what are you going to do?" he asked, his olive-green gaze falling on her. His eyes quickly moved to her eyepatch, and a small spark of interest showed itself for a moment behind his lashes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. He exhaled another plume of smoke from his lungs as he turned his face away from her again and resumed staring at nothing.

Marie cleared her throat. "I'm here to teach you," she said, barely keeping herself from stuttering.

The man before her ran a hand through his hair. "About what?" he asked. "How to be a model citizen? How to overcome PTSD? Oh, what about how to stop trying to dissect people that obviously don't want to be dissected?" he said. "I've been through all of this before. There's nothing you can tell me that will teach me anything."

Marie narrowed her eye slightly. No matter how attractive this Stein was, she wasn't going to simply let him shortchange her. Taking a deep breath, she spread her legs out slightly and sunk her stance, bringing her arms to her sides. Stein raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

In an instant, Marie picked herself up and lunged forward, one hand in half-prayer at her chest while the other arm moved in a sudden circle and whipped upward, sending bolts of golden lighting up to the moonlit sky.

Stein blinked, but barely showed interest as she brought her arm back down and returned to her normal posture.

"I'm going to teach you," she said, bringing confidence back into her voice, "How to Lightningbend."

* * *

_Day Two_

When Marie entered his cell the next day, Stein was Firebending.

The first thing she noticed were the roar of the flames. The flash of white-hot fire caught her eye next, circling his hands and feet and whirling rapidly as he moved through his form. She stared at him intently, and she could feel the heat coming from his fire in waves while he moved both fluidly and heavily across the floor.

"You're amazing," she breathed after he bowed to end the form, his back to her. He swiftly extinguished his flames and looked towards her for a moment.

"Yes," he said plainly, making his way over to his cot, and breathed out small amounts of smoke again as he sat down on it. "Do I have to remind you again to close the door?"

Marie jumped slightly, but shot him a small glare as she shut the portal behind her.

"You could at least be grateful," she snapped, "I'm your last option, you know. Teaching you Lightningbending will teach you focus. It's Warden Azusa's hope that by teaching you to focus, you'll gain some control over your…" She paused, wondering how she should address his condition.

Stein huffed. "Instability?" he finished for her. He looked upward, toward the tower's ceiling grate, and he smirked a little. "Don't sugarcoat it. I'm insane; that's all there is to it." Marie was trapped where she stood when he turned his head to fix her in his sight. "But they've sent lots of people in here to try and fix me. You're going to fail; like all the rest."

Marie crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't automatically decide that I'm going to fail," she snapped, and before Stein could reply, she continued, "And I'm not here to fix you. I'm here to help you."

He gave her that look again; that same spark of interest in his eyes that he had shown when she had first used her bending in front of him. That look that was oh so attractive. She cleared her throat, straightening her posture under his enigmatic gaze.

"Well, yesterday we just worked on breathing, which you should understand the importance of," she began, "But now that I've seen your skill level, I think you're ready to try a little bit of bending." Stein only yawned, so she kept going. "It involves a lot of chi, and you need to learn how to manipulate it well…"

"I know all the technical specifications," interrupted Stein, sauntering up to her with his hands in his pockets. "Just show me the motions."

Marie smiled politely, trying to keep her temper under control. "All right. In the future, let me finish," she said, bending her knees and moving into a side lunge. "First, you need to lower your stance. Stability is key." Stein mirrored her motions, and the blonde's smile became natural. "I thought you said that this would never work," she said.

He shrugged. "It won't," he said, "I just want to learn to Lightningbend."

The blonde nodded, still beaming. "Of course. That's what I'm here for," she said. As she instructed him on the proper positions and motions, she started to think that maybe her job wouldn't be so hard.

* * *

_Day Five_

Marie had almost forgotten that Stein was a madman. It was only after she had been teaching him for five days that he reminded her.

He was making progress. Up until yesterday he said simply been spitting flames from his fingers, but Marie was certain that she had seen sparks in his palm before she left.

Nearly effortlessly, she hauled the training dummy down the prison hallway. It was just something she had pulled together the night before; a few bags of sand that vaguely resembled a human head and torso that she had mounted on sticks. Although, she realized, she had made it with her height in mind. She heaved a sigh when she thought that Stein would have to bend down to reach it.

"Good evening, Stein," she said, swinging the door open with one hand and holding the dummy on her back with the other. She was eager enough that she didn't notice when he didn't reply, and she proceeded to set the dummy in the center of the room. "I brought something for you to practice on today. It might be a little small, but I'm sure that you can make use of it."

It took her a few seconds to realize that Stein wasn't there. He wasn't sitting on his cot or at his table. Worry began pricking at the back of her mind, and she turned in a slow circle to scan the room. "Stein?" She called, her voice echoing in the cell.

She didn't see him at first glance, but when she stepped closer, Stein's form slowly became apparent in that dark corner of the room. He was hunched over, and his body shook slightly. He held his hands over his face, his fingers curled slightly.

Marie felt her heartbeat speed up. Something was obviously wrong, she decided, and as his current caretaker, it was her job to help him. Tentatively, she moved towards her student.

"Stein?" She repeated, making her way closer to him. He inhaled sharply, halting her.

"… Get out," he spoke, his low voice raspier than normal.

Marie tilted her head. "Stein, I'm here to help you," she said softly, kneeling in front of him and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Whatever's wrong, I'm sure I can-!"

"I said GET OUT!" He yelled. One of his large, calloused hands grabbed Marie's fingers, and she gasped as he forcefully wrenched her away from him, throwing her aside and twisting her arm. She scrambled to her feet, breathing as heavily as he was. Wide, frightened eyes stared at her, skittering slightly in their sockets. She backed up, never breaking his gaze until she was on the other side of the door.

They didn't train that day.

* * *

_Day 6_

When Marie entered his cell the next day, the training dummy was covered in ragged, haphazard black burns. The floor was littered with similar marks, joining the other wild streaks that she hadn't noticed before.

"I burnt your mannequin," Stein mumbled as she walked in. He laid back on his cot, staring idly at the ceiling grate. "Sorry."

Marie breathed a sigh of relief; he seemed to be back to his senses. "That's what it's for, Stein," she smiled at him. "I don't mind."

He only hummed a tiny bit in reply. She didn't take her eyes off of him for a moment, but then she quickly settled herself into her stance once more. However, before she bent anything, Stein's voice intruded into her focus.

"Did they tell you how I got in here?"

Marie paused. She straightened herself up and looked at Stein again, but he hadn't moved.

"They said… That you were warden here, but you were jailed when others figured out that you had been dissecting some of your prisoners," she said. He nodded.

"Exactly right," he said. He brought one arm up and held his hand in front of his face, as if he was inspecting it. "I wanted to take them apart. I reasoned that it was for science," he mumbled. "But… I loved every minute of it."

Marie paled slightly as a strange grin twisted Stein's lips.

"I loved seeing their blood on my fingers. I loved that feeling of holding someone's life in your hands. I saw things that only morticians usually see, but I saw the parts moving. Living. Breathing. It's exhilarating, Marie," he chuckled.

The blonde gulped, shying back from him, when his tone changed suddenly.

"And yet," he murmured, "I don't want to do that to you."

Marie stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

"I don't want to see you in pieces," he said, sitting up. His eyes turned to look over her, his expression impossible for her to read. "It's so strange. Why don't a want to take you apart?" A small, strange laugh escaped his lips, and he ran one hand through his grey hair. "What have you done to me? How have you managed to keep me from tearing your chest open?"

Against her better judgement, Marie began to walk towards him. His maddened chortling only continued as she grew closer.

"You're odd. You're really odd," he said. "You're the first person to see me when I'm insane and still be here. You had time to think about me, and think that I could've easily killed you. You had a whole night to think about it, but you still came back!" His crazed laughter bounced off the walls, but it didn't deter her. She came to a halt in front of him, watching him concernedly. He looked down at her and grinned, his hands suddenly settling on either side of her face. Despite how cold they were, warmth flushed across Marie's cheeks at his touch. "You're even madder than I am," he breathed.

When he meshed their lips together, Marie felt as if she was dancing on a thunderstorm.

* * *

_Day 10_

They didn't train much anymore. Stein was becoming an expert at Lightningbending, though his technique was vastly different than Marie's. Sparks of concentrated energy flowed through his hands, giving him the strength and shock to send the training dummy flying when he slammed his palm against it.

Electricity seemed to pulse from his touch to her skin as he held her waist, keeping her close as her own fingers tangled in his hair, occasionally clutching his grey strands. His lips were dry, yet they moved perfectly against hers.

"You taste like smoke," she murmured against his lips. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip.

"You taste like honey," he replied. "They never serve honey in prison. I missed the taste."

Marie blushed wildly. "That's a horrible excuse for continually kissing me," she smiled at him. He said nothing and instead bit her bottom lip gently, cutting off any further conversation.

* * *

_Day 34_

"I don't understand it," groaned Azusa, throwing reports down onto the desk in front of her. "He's still nuts. He still has episodes. He still threatens to dissect the guards. The only difference now is that he's got a new weapon," she grumbled.

Marie cleared her throat. "I don't think it's a problem with his focus," she interjected. "He learned to Lightningbend in the course of a few days. It took me months. His skill level and willingness to learn are incredible," she said.

Azusa sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead. "Then just what _is_ the problem?"

The blonde took a deep breath; this was her chance. "He needs acceptance," she said. "He doesn't need anyone to try and fix him. He doesn't need to be fixed; he needs to be shown that people trust him and accept him for who he is. Maybe then he'll accept himself."

Her friend eyed her, crossing her legs. "And how do you propose that we do that safely?" She asked.

Marie paused. However, she rapidly summoned her courage, and with fire in her eye, she proposed her idea.

Azusa was immediately opposed. It was insane, she cried. There was no way it'd work. But Marie wouldn't waver, and eventually, Azusa admitted that nothing she said would convince her friend to abandon her folly.

"Just promise me that you won't get hurt," she mumbled. Marie nodded eagerly.

"I promise," she said, practically beaming.

* * *

_Day 35_

"Close the door," muttered Stein as Marie stepped in. "I thought you'd learned that by now."

The blonde shook her head, holding the cell door open wide. A knowing grin lit up her face, and Stein raised an eyebrow at her as he approached her.

"Is something wrong with your face?" he deadpanned. She gave him what she considered to be a light slap on the arm for his comment, even though it left a very obvious red mark, yet she continued to beam at him.

"You're free to go, Stein," she proclaimed.

His olive-green eyes widened in surprise, looking towards the door, and then back to her. One of his feet moved back a step, as if unsure. His mouth opened to protest, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"I checked with Azusa and made sure it was okay," she clarified. "I convinced her that it would be much better for you if you were in a more comfortable environment, so you'll be coming to stay with me."

Stein stared at her, before he turned his gaze back to the open doorway. He hesitated, and Marie said nothing; she would let him do it at his own pace. Azusa told her that he hadn't been out of that cell in five years, and this was a big change for him. After so many failed attempts at erasing his insanity, he must have thought that he'd never go beyond that door again.

Unhurriedly, he strode past her. Each of his steps was hesitant and gentle, and his bare feet didn't make a sound as he moved towards the doorway that had been forbidden to him for so long.

The moment his feet crossed the threshold, the tension left Stein's shoulders. The smallest of smiles crept its way onto his lips, and he started to walk with more confidence. Marie smiled as well as she watched him.

"Stein?" she spoke up suddenly. He stopped, turning his head to face her. She beamed at him. "I love you," she said.

He peered at her, his eyes once more displaying that enigmatic fascination of his.

"… Yes," he said after a minute. Marie laughed, closing the cell door behind her for the last time.

It shut with a loud clang, and neither of them ever saw that cell again.


End file.
